Breaking the Sky
by sakurademonalchemist
Summary: Left behind by her callous and idiotic father after he unexpectedly takes her mother on a year long cruise, Kiseki Sawada finds herself with an unexpected talent in a game called Dragon Drive. Except it's not all sunshine and roses...there are some secrets about the game that are about to broaden her worldview considerably, even if it wasn't intentional at the time. Fem Tsuna
1. Chapter 1

"Hey, did you hear? Ryuu-sama is going to be playing today!"

"Seriously! Let's go get seats!"

It was the name on every player's mind, those that took the game seriously anyway.

Ryuu, the masked dragon master who could turn a weak dragon into a ferocious, unbeatable beast. It could be a common Hydra or a weak little dragon, it didn't matter.

If Ryuu got their hands on it, then by the end of a month the dragon would shoot up several levels and be better than every other player in the game.

No one knew what their original dragon was, only that it went by the name "Sora".

Ryuu's most famous catchphrase was "You can be the smallest one around... but if you're willing to put in the effort then the Sky is never the limit to what you can do!"

Only Ryuu had earned the right to be called "Dragon Master".

The thing was... no one knew exactly what Ryuu looked like, or even if that was their name. They didn't even know if it was a boy or a girl.

"It's Ryuu-sama!" squealed the girls.

The crowd began to chant the same name, over and over.

"Ryuu! Ryuu!"

The deceptively small figure turned to the crowd, dragon mask firmly in place, before giving a polite, but not condescending bow to the audience. Then they entered their designated chair.

Unlike the other strong players, who belittled or mocked the weaker ones, Ryuu was quiet but polite. In fact they often went out of their way to protect the weaker players until they gained some experience from the stronger, more snide ones.

Ryuu wasn't a fighter. They didn't take joy out of beating up the other dragons.

It was more accurate to call Ryuu a protecting dragon, one who nurture the gifts of others while maintaining their own quiet strength. A pillar that could shelter all who needed it.

As soon as they entered D-Break, Ryuu took to the sky and hovered a bit. The dragon they were on was a mysterious one, but they were perfectly comfortable there.

In the audience, everyone immediately began to look to see what sort of dragon it was.

"Oh my gods! That's Sora! Ryuu-sama's personal dragon!" squealed one of the girls.

"Dear gods, look at those insane stats! No wonder Ryuu-sama never brings it out during regular matches! He'd wipe the floor with everyone in one blast!" said another.

Cell phones went off every time Ryuu and Sora came on the screen. For the most part they didn't really interact with the other dragons...until one got too uppity and tried to make a pot shot at a very young player with a new dragon.

A single blast took that idiot out of the game, and Ryuu went to calm the young boy down. Once they were no longer upset, Ryuu went back to the skies until the game ended.

They had no need for experience points. This was more of a way to shake off the boredom with Sora.

Ryuu bowed politely again to the audience, before performing their usual vanishing act into the crowd.

* * *

"I'm home."

The owner of the dragon mask opened up the door to the still empty house.

The second the door closed, the mask was removed...revealing a girl about sixteen or seventeen with tired features. She signed with relief...it was always so nervewracking to go to D-Break as "Ryuu-sama" these days. Everyone wanted her autograph or know who was behind the mask! Even Agent L was curious, since Ryuu suddenly appeared one day out of the blue with such "amazing dragons".

No one would expect the great Dragon Master...to be a bullied teenager who originally had one of the weakest dragons.

"Ah! Almost forgot! Come out, Sora-chan!"

She took out a special box and pushed some of her resolve into it. A bright light flared from deep within, before revealing...a tiny white dragon with very small wings?

The dragon yawned, before spotting her master. It tackled the rather small teenager to the floor.

"Cut that out, Sora-chan! You know I still have to make dinner!"

It was almost impossible to believe that the great Ryuu and Sora were actually a very lonely girl and a positively tiny dragon.

Kiseki Sawada hated her life before Dragon Drive.

She had zero friends, she was always bullied, and to top it all off her imbecile father dragged her mother on a year-long cruise around the world without any warning, leaving her alone in the house.

It hadn't taken long for news of _that_ to spread, or for the bullying to get even more vicious and cruel.

Her life had become a living hell. The only reason she wasn't completely terrified of going to school was because of the fact that everyone believed her to be a boy by the name of Tsunayoshi and due to the fact that Hibari-san ran a tight ship.

He barely tolerated the fact that one of the most bullied _female_ herbivores was hiding herself as a boy. And that was only because she made him lunch every day.

Kiseki looked at the photo and was happy that Sora took it upon herself to remind her master that she wasn't all alone in the house.

She had never been alone since the day she finally earned enough points to pay for a special item that allowed the player to store dragons in the D-Break and then _manifest_ them physically in the real world once they left.

It was a one-of-a-kind item that only those who religiously stored up their points to get, and there were all sorts of conditions required for the player to be able to use it.

For once in her horrible life, she managed to meet the "requirements" in order to be able to actually use the box that brought dragons to the real world. Even if it had meant sacrificing all those experience points that could have made Sora a powerhouse that much sooner, it was completely worth it. Because for the first time she had a friend who wouldn't leave her behind.

Sure, it could only store the one dragon, but compared to others who managed to fit the requirements Sora was relatively low maintenance and was easy to disguise as a doll if she forgot to put her back.

Kiseki loved the fact her dragon was the very definition of cuddle-sized.

She crashed on her bed and got ready for yet another night of being alone save for her little dragon.

* * *

 _In Italy..._

"You still haven't located that civilian yet?!" shouted a tiny man with vibrant green hair and eyes on top of an alligator who hissed at the underlings. He wore a bright green pacifier around his neck and looked very much like a toddler.

Only an idiot would treat him like one.

"Master Verde, it's impossible! Our records indicate that this Drago regularly keeps their dragon out, but we have found no reports of a dragon appearing in civilian areas! Let alone what nation they are from! No one has any idea who this Drago is, much less what they really look like!" said the underling fearfully.

Verde (the green-haired toddler-sized man) snarled.

He had the Vindice breathing down his neck trying to find out where the leaked D-Box went since his idiot minions handed one out to a mere _civilian_. On top of that the fools who managed the 'game' were pissed as hell that some mere slip of a teenager had managed to get their hands on one of the rare boxes but had no familigia or apparent ties to Cosa Nostra to pay for it!

Those boxes were beyond expensive for a _reason_. How a civilian managed to manifest Flames strong enough to use the box and still avoid being found by the underworld was baffling.

Someone with those Flames _should_ have been noticed by now!

Unfortunately there was no way to track the box. They were designed that way so no one would realize who had them, though it usually became very obvious the second the massive dragons showed up and started wreaking havoc with their master.

A lot of "conditions" were placed on those boxes before they were handed out, set down by the Vindice.

The big one was that you couldn't just go off and show your dragon without precautions. The less who knew about them, the better. And if you were busted with it out in civilian areas then the box was confiscated without question and your ass was thrown straight into the deepest areas of Vindicare.

That generally convinced the idiot hot heads who earned one to keep a low-profile.

The thing was...those boxes were supposed to be _limited_ to people who had mafia connections only.

How the hell was he supposed to expect a civilian who managed to fit the requirements _and_ save up the ridiculous number of points needed to 'pay' for one?!

"Someone go and get me a list of all the idiots who still fit the requirements for a D-Box, but haven't earned one yet! We're going to flush this damn civilian out even if I have to kill them for it!" snarled Verde.

* * *

 _A few days later..._

"So let me get this straight. A civilian managed to get their hands on one of coveted D-Box weapons and you still haven't retrieved it yet?" said the Storm. He was one of fifty idiots chosen to flush out the infamous Dragon Master.

Verde grumbled.

"You don't need to know the details of what the requirements are or how this could have happened. All you need to do is flush out this 'dragon master' so we can get the box back. Do it and you'll earn the right to get one of your own and possibly a place among a familigia," he said annoyed. "I'm sending you all to different locations with a basic photo of what this civilian looks like. I expect results."

"Whatever. Dealing with a civilian shouldn't be that hard," scoffed the Storm.

"Since you understand Japanese, I'm setting your program to drop you in the training grounds of area eleven. I've heard rumors that Japan has a dragon master who can control any beast. Find out if it has any connection to Drago," said Verde.

 **A/N: Yes, I did just deliberately make a Code Geass reference there. XD**

Hayato Gokudera was a useless, hotheaded Storm. Though even a pawn could be used to flush out a king like Drago. And Verde wasn't above using pawns to do most of the leg work.

Hayato looked around with a pissed off gaze.

"Stupid Arcobaleno. Just because he screwed up I have to be in this dumb game even longer!"

Let it be said that Hayato was _not_ a fan of Dragon Drive. His dragon Uri was a complete pain in the ass, rarely listened to him and was more likely to throw him off then let him ride.

Except... this game was the only place he was safe from his father and half-sister. Bianchi couldn't poison him so long as he was inside, earning points and experience. His father would happily leave him in the machine for hours, even days on end since it meant he didn't have to look at his son.

In short D-Break was the only viable escape he had from his life, no matter how much Uri pissed him off.

Hayato looked down and saw a girl with caramel colored hair riding a dragon...with a smaller one sitting next to her with rather pathetic wings. It wasn't unheard of to see someone controlling two or more dragons, but it wasn't seen often either.

And he knew from the limited information they had that Drago could control multiple dragons, though his primary was called "Ciel".

Well, who better to ask than a local about Drago?

"Hey you! Girlie!" shouted Hayato in accented Japanese.

The girl turned, revealing startled amber-eyes. She looked positively freaked out he had seen her.

The fact she had her dragon bolt the second he called out pissed him off.

"Go after her Uri! Don't let her escape!"

Needless to say he was quite startled when his dragon actually _listened_ to him for once.

Uri flew faster than Hayato could remember him going, before forcibly planting himself before the girl.

"Hie! What do you want?" she said startled.

Hayato couldn't help it, but the first impression he had of this girl was a frightened bunny. He mentally shook that off, but it stuck.

"Look, do you know any dragon masters around here by the name Drago?"

She blinked.

"What."

"I'm looking for a dragon master named Drago, or at least his dragon Ciel. Do you know where I could find them?"

She stared at him.

"The only dragon master in Japan is Ryuu and his primary partner Sora. I've never even heard of Drago or Ciel," she replied.

Hayato was irritated.

"Well where can I find this Ryuu?"

"Ryuu-sama makes sporadic appearances in the D-Zone, though they tend to show up when the rookie players show up during the summer. They're more of a protector than a fighter though. It's rare for them to get involved in the actual fighting unless it's to end one."

"You said they. Is it a team then?" asked Hayato.

She shook her head.

"No one knows what gender Ryuu-sama is, so general consensus is to use gender neutral titles. But they don't seem to care if you refer to them as a boy. He also rarely uses his primary dragon in a fight."

"Can this Ryuu-sama control a lot of dragons?"

"It's said that Ryuu-sama takes the dragon cards of those who don't want to play anymore, or who want to try for a 'better' dragon and turns them into powerhouses. They are well known for declaring that the Sky can be more than just the limit if someone puts in the effort to surpass it."

Hayato nodded grudgingly...and wondered if this Ryuu-sama could tell him how to get his damn dragon to actually LISTEN to him more often. He was being unusually calm today.

"Thanks," said Hayato. "What's your name?"

"Kiseki. This is Kakashi and Sora-chan," said the girl, holding up what looked like a baby dragon.

"Named after Ryuu's dragon then?"

"Well, Chibisuke sounded too much like a boy's name and Sora-chan is a girl," she replied sheepishly. "Ah. What's your name?"

"Gokudera Hayato. This pain in my ass is Uri."

"Nice to meet you, Gokudera-san, Uri," she said cheerfully.

"Whoa! What are you doing, you stupid dragon?!" yelped Hayato when Uri went to properly greet Kiseki. She giggled when he licked her face. And he was positively _purring_ when she scratched his horns. The leopard-like dragon _never_ purred around Hayato.

"Sorry about that. I have a weird effect around dragons. They seem to treat me like I'm some human-shaped catnip to them or something."

"Wish I knew how you did it. He never listens to me," said Hayato grumpily.

She tilted her head.

"But he does listen. You're the one who has trouble paying attention to what he's saying," she said without thinking.

"What."

He didn't care if he sounded pissed or dangerous, he was ticked she dared to say something like that.

"Your pride gets in the way. Maybe if you quit treating your dragon like an extension of whatever it is you're running from, he'd listen to you more," she said without flinching at the tone. "And if you really hated him so much, you would have gotten rid of his card. He's still worried you might eventually give up on him like you've given up on your own situation."

Hayato stared at her.

"You're weird."

She winced at the comment.

"I've been called worse. Much worse," she admitted.

Hayato was curious why that statement made him want to rip whoever had made a 'worse' comment to the little dragon tamer into tiny shreds before sending Uri after them. It wasn't like he knew the girl, who was so obviously a civilian it wasn't even funny.


	2. Chapter 2

Verde didn't even ask why Hayato was taking the annoying Bovino kid with him to the Japan area. Hayato might be hot headed, but he also wasn't a complete idiot.

Ryuu and Sora? The Japanese equivalent of Drago and Ciel?

He'd have to be a complete idiot to miss that sort of possible connection. And if this Ryuu really _was_ protective of kids, or at least younger rookies, then they'd show up to check on Lambo.

The kid was such a brat that he had yet to win a single match, save for the rare accident when he got lucky and his dragon killed the enemy and survived. That thing had to be one of the most patient dragons he had ever seen, to put up with the brat.

Most of the other mafia players tended to use Lambo as "free exp" and killed him off as quickly as possible. Hayato wasn't among that number, since he avoided the game when the kid was in.

Probably why Lambo was willing to go with him. That or the fact Gokudera had the sense to bring grape candy with him to pacify the kid. His minders didn't even ask...most of the Bovino would happily see Lambo gone.

* * *

"Is that a kid?" asked one girl.

"Looks like it. Can he even play?" asked another.

"He's such a cutie!"

"Ah! It's Ryuu-sama!" said the first.

"Ryuu-sama!"

Hayato didn't smirk. He didn't want to give away the fact he had brought Lambo deliberately to draw out Ryuu.

The masked figure (which fit the same basic picture he had been given of Drago, with a slightly different mask) gave a polite bow before taking their spot next to Lambo.

The kid laughed like the idiot he was, and thanks to the modified helmet was soon launched into the D-Zone.

Like usual, most of the older players had immediately pegged Lambo as a "nuisance", and that he was far too young to know how to control his bull-like dragon "Gyudon" properly. Thus, free exp for the weaker players.

Except... none of them dared to go after the pest first. It confused him until he noticed the masked one flying high above everyone else.

Lambo tried to attack another player, only to fail and start the tell-tale signs of a _massive_ temper tantrum. Hayato, as the kid's minder (and in the hopes of confronting Ryuu discreetly) raced to find the brat, using the navigator to do so.

He only got there in time to see Lambo calming down, with Ryuu letting the kid latch on to him.

The dragon followed to a relatively high area, before laying down. It apparently was fine with the fact that the older player had picked Lambo up and was flying above with the kid.

"Uri, can you get me up there?"

Uri chuffed at him, before growling in a way that Hayato had learned the hard way meant "Screw you".

"I'll force you to deal with the bull brat," threatened Hayato.

Uri almost threw him off.

Hayato growled in frustration.

"Fine! Do what you want then, stupid cat!"

The leopard dragon took off and started going after the stronger dragons for experience. Hayato mostly let the pest do his own thing. Not like he could properly control it.

 _Outside the D-Zone..._

"Stay put while I get something for you to drink, stupid cow!" said Hayato sternly.

Lambo mostly stayed put. Hayato was a lot more patient than most of the people who were supposed to mind him, but he seemed to have a hair trigger temper.

However he was only five...and soon grew bored. It didn't take much for him to get lost.

"Tolerate..." he sniffled. Just as another monumental tantrum was about to erupt, he felt someone pick him up.

"There, there. It's alright," said a voice soothingly, while rubbing his back. "You're a brave little boy for playing in the game at your age."

This feeling, that smell. It was the nice player who had kept the others from attacking Gyudon and was actually kind to him.

He looked up to see a girl with amber-eyes and short caramel colored hair. She felt _exactly_ like "Ryuu-sama", which was what the other big kids called the nice player who held him like his mama used to, before she went away.

Lambo latched his arms around her neck, still sniffling. This place was loud and scary.

"Dammit you stupid cow, where did you disappear to now?!"

She frowned.

"Are you looking for this little guy?" she asked, walking up to the irate Italian.

Hayato turned and looked relieved.

"Wait... you're that girl from before. Kiseki-san, right?"

"Hello, Gokudera-san."

"Hayato-kun is fine," he said grumpily. He eyed Lambo with annoyance. "I thought I told you to stay put?"

"The great Lambo-sama doesn't have to listen to you!" said Lambo, sticking out his tongue. "The great Lambo-sama goes where he wants!"

Before Hayato could start a ridiculous argument with the brat, Kiseki interrupted.

"Now, now Lambo. This place is pretty crowded. Hayato-kun probably didn't want you to accidentally get stepped on by the bigger kids, which is why he told you to stay put. Big boys should be able to listen to their minders," said Kiseki calmly.

Lambo actually looked like a kicked puppy. Hayato stared in amazement.

"How in the hell did you get that brat to listen to you? Even his own family can't get him to behave."

"He's a kid. He's not _supposed_ to behave all the time. The trick is to actually listen to them," she replied.

"Lambo-sama is hungry, nee-san," said the kid. His stomach grumbled as he said that.

Hayato's was soon to follow suit. He hadn't exactly been given a decent amount of Japanese currency, and he had to pay for Lambo now too.

Kiseki looked amused.

"Come on, I'll show you where they sell the food and drinks. If you behave, there might be candy in it for you later," said Kiseki to Lambo.

Seeing the brat with a massive grape sucker and actually _behaving_ , Hayato could only stare. At least he had a full stomach for the night.

The real problem came when it was time to leave.

Lambo refused to be separated from his new "nee-san".

And he made it known in spades.

"I am so sorry about this," said Hayato embarrassed. He hissed at the brat in Italian.

Lambo was practically a limpet on Kiseki's leg. She looked more bemusedly tolerant than annoyed.

"Where are you staying?" she asked. "I'm sure once he wears himself out he'll go straight to sleep."

Hayato winced.

"I was planning to get a hotel room for a while."

"...Exactly how long are you staying in Japan?"

"I have no idea."

A flash of emotion passed through Kiseki's eyes. She carefully liberated Lambo from her leg...before letting him curl back into her arms. Though odds are he'd latch onto her neck if Hayato tried to reclaim him again.

"I suppose you can stay with me until whatever business you're here for is over. If only for Lambo's sake."

"Are you sure? What about your parents?"

"My mother wouldn't have minded even if she was still there. It's not like I'm doing anything with the rooms as it is, though the master and my bedroom are off limits."

Hayato winced.

"Is your mother..."

"She's alive, though as far as I'm concerned my father might as well be dead. The bastard," she said with a flat tone.

Hayato could sympathize with that sentiment so completely that he didn't ask. Clearly her relationship with her father was as nonexistent as his own.

* * *

 _Some time later..._

"This is your house?"

"Mama said my _father_ bought it as a honeymoon present. They send money to pay for groceries and all the bills are paid online, but for the most part it's empty. I mostly spend my time either at school or at the Sea Palace."

"Lambo-sama is hungry!"

"You just ate, stupid cow!"

"If you can behave, I'll make you something to eat, Lambo-kun," said Kiseki. She went to the TV and pulled something off the shelf. It was an animated movie.

"What is that?"

" _Howl's Moving Castle_."

"Is that Disney?" asked Hayato. It looked like it.

Kiseki looked amused.

"Japan's Disney, I suppose. It's a well known Miyazaki movie. I've never liked Disney since I was stuck watching the _Lion King_ repeatedly as a kid. Turned me off lions forever, especially when I found out more about real lion behavior."

"Really? Like what?"

"For example, did you know when a new male lion takes over a pride it's not uncommon for him to kill all the younger cubs to force their mothers back into heat early? Or that the lionesses do most of the hunting?"

Hayato blinked. He took out his phone and had to look that up, only to find out with some surprise she wasn't kidding.

"I did not know that."

"They call lions the 'king' of beasts, but I've always found them to be obnoxious and conceited. I like leopards better. Or maybe tigers."

"So what sort of dragon is Sora-chan?" asked Hayato, unconsciously relaxing.

"A young holy-type dragon. She might not look like much, but when she releases her full power she's very strong. She acts like a playful cub most of the time, always giving me full faced kisses when I visit."

Hayato grinned. He could easily imagine that, and barely realized he was helping her set the table.

Something about Kiseki made him relax without realizing it, following her lead instinctively.

The fact she could get Lambo to behave so easily made Hayato think her name was a bit more _literal_ than one would believe.

He didn't even care that the brat snuck into her room sometime during the night, when he was supposed to be sharing the same guest room as him.

She certainly didn't care.

In fact if he had to put words to why she was so _nice,_ he would have to say she was very lonely.

Her 'father' and he hesitated to use the word to describe the idiot who sired her, had dragged her mother to a year-long around the world cruise without even bothering to consider his daughter except as an afterthought. Considering he spent so little time around his wife, it was little wonder the woman had jumped at the chance for some proper quality time with her husband.

And a little observation over the next few days revealed Kiseki had no friends to speak of and was heavily bullied. He didn't blame her in the least for wearing the boy's uniform, considering how cute she was when she wasn't hiding her gender.

(Which had him hiding a blush, because when did words like "cute" come up when he was thinking of a girl... a civilian at that?)

Kiseki was a kind, gentle girl who had the amazing ability to get anyone to like her. Which made the bullying thing rather baffling, since she never once did anything to actually _instigate_ the crap he saw the idiots put her through. She never once asked him what he was doing in Japan or why he was minding Lambo.

She was just happy to have someone in the house with her, and he had the feeling the home was very lonely indeed with the amount of time he saw logged on the computers. She must have been avoiding her home for as long as possible, to stave off how quiet the house was.

He couldn't even imagine what something like that could do to someone as kind as Kiseki. Never having anyone to welcome her home or say a kind word to her. Losing the one person who even remotely supported her because her sperm donor was an asshole.

Even Lambo looked happier being here.

So when it came time for him to report back to Verde (with or without Lambo) he realized he would rather be staying with Kiseki and even the cow brat than telling the Arcobaleno the lack of any real findings outside of learning that Ryuu-sama never used the same dragon twice and was fond of kids.

He was halfway out of the base when an idea occurred to him. The Bovino barely cared about Lambo outside of their own reputation, and the kid was honestly behaving more around his new "big sister". They were quickly running out of people who were willing to put up with the brat...they had practically dumped him on Hayato the second he even mentioned using the kid as bait.

He'd bet good money they'd be more than happy to pay Kiseki to deal with the kid until he was older and potentially useful, rather than drag him away form someone willing to take him in.

He took out his special mobile and called Kiseki. It took off points to use it like a normal phone (which made it cheaper than regular phone), but this might solve a few problems before they became problems in the first place.

"Hey Kiseki-chan... how would you like to get a permanent babysitting gig so you don't have to depend on your idiot genetic donor for grocery money?" asked Hayato grinning viciously. "You might even be able to afford an apartment with it."

" _I'm listening..._ "

"Lambo's family is having a lot of trouble getting a babysitter who won't get tired of his tantrums and would probably pay you a lot of money to keep him off their hands. If I made it known I found someone who could not only handle him but was willing to let him stay in their home, odds are they'd jump at the chance."

Even if she was a civilian. At this point they couldn't stand the kid.

" _Exactly how bad are we talking about here? I'd be happy to take Lambo in, but wouldn't they need to do background checks or something?"_ she asked nervously.

"They literally handed him over when I asked. The kid is a total brat, and you're the first person I've seen him behave around with any consistency," said Hayato flatly. "Besides, we can't always rely on Ryuu to keep an eye on him when he goes into the D-Zone."

" _If you're sure. I don't want Lambo to be hurt by this, though."_

"He adores his 'nee-san'. I doubt the cow brat would actually care so long as someone is actually there for him."

Hayato made a stop at the Bovino mansion and explained it to them. It was a sign of how little they cared about the kid that they agreed to the idea without even bothering to look too deeply into Kiseki's living situation when he told them he found someone willing to take the kid in. They happily signed over a monthly stipend once Kiseki sent her bank account information for as long as Lambo was in her care.

They also dumped the usual "care package" on Hayato, unaware that the girl in question was a civilian. He promptly hid them the first chance he had, not wanting to explain to Kiseki why Lambo's family were giving him things like grenades and a bazooka with actual ammo.

(When Lambo found out he was going to become a permanent resident at Kiseki's home, he was openly thrilled. Even a kid like him knew when he wasn't actually wanted and he could tell Kiseki actually _cared_ about him. More than anyone else ever had.)


	3. Chapter 3

It said a lot that Verde was so frustrated with the lack of results that he called in more help to find the civilian with the special box.

Which turned out to be another Arcobaleno and his young apprentice.

"Why exactly are you sending us to the Japanese area to look for one of your lackeys?"

"This brat is the only one who's come even remotely close to finding that damn box, but from the feel of his Flames I can only assume he's come across a Sky that has an opening for a Storm," said Verde with an annoyed grimace. "He's also made arrangements for that annoying brat to stay with whoever is putting up with him in lieu of a hotel."

Fon smiled in understanding.

"You think this 'Drago' is starting to claim the boy as their Storm, which means he's more likely to _fight_ against you rather than hand them over."

"I need something to get the Vindice off my ass for losing a box to a mere _civilian_. I haven't been able to properly work since one of the idiots found out that a box went to someone not on the approved list and it got leaked back to them," said Verde tiredly. "To say nothing of the bitching that the idiots from Ri-On have been giving me for the past few months."

Fon observed the Lightning. He looked exhausted and frustrated. Not a good combination for the genius.

"I will see whether or not the Storm has found a Sky. If he has then you can explain that to his family and drop him off the list. At the very least I can find out what the full situation is."

Verde sagged in his chair.

"Thank you."

"You need to get some rest. You look terrible."

"You try sleeping with the damn Vindice on your ass every week for answers!" Verde shot back irate. He did finally take a nap after some coaxing though. He looked like he desperately needed it.

* * *

I-Pin was always happy to play Dragon Drive. She loved her dragon Stormheart, which was a tiger-based dragon with a fierce appearance.

The second he saw her 'dragon', Fon had to smile because a tiger suited his young apprentice better than anything. She was tiny, but ferocious. The name was also clearly based on Fon, who's nickname among the underworld was "Eye of the Storm".

Seeing her have so much fun playing this 'game' made him relax. No one ever suspected his little five (going on six) year old apprentice to be a threat until she decimated them with her dragon. It was so cute to see the teenagers all stare in shock at the fact they were taken out by a little girl. Even if they had trouble telling her gender.

So he had no issues with taking her to Japan with him, or letting her play the game while he watched.

"Oh man, another kid?"

"I hope this one doesn't bother Ryuu-sama like the last brat."

"I think I saw Ryuu-sama with that whiny kid. He was carrying him on his shoulders."

"Forget the kid, did you see the total hottie hanging around Ryuu-sama?"

"I know! Who do you think tops in that relationship?"

Fon tuned them out after that. He had already gotten some useful information from them.

"Oh my gods! It's Ryuu-sama!" squealed the girl who complained about Lambo.

"Quick, get your phones!" said another girl.

Fon was nothing if not observant. He could tell from the Chi alone that "Ryuu-sama" was in fact _female_ , not male like these foolish girls were assuming. They were also an Active Sky, a strong one, with what felt like two half-formed bonds and a fully formed one.

He knew for a fact Lambo Bovino was recorded to have strong, Active Lightning flames...which was the only reason he was even able to play the game. Seeing the little cow sitting calmly in "Ryuu's" lap, he reached out with his senses.

So the fully formed bond belonged to the Bovino child, and the half-formed one was the Storm that Verde asked him to check on for his loyalty. Though he did wonder who the other half-formed bond belonged to.

Seeing Ryuu do her traditional polite bow, he noted with interest that she immediately paused to look right at _him_. He could do without the loud squeals of her fangirls though.

He wondered why the Bovino child was even there, considering he had been more or less banned until he could contain his tantrums.

Then he realized why the one in charge of announcing the game let the kid in. He behaved so long as he was allowed to stay with Ryuu without making a fuss. They would rather he sit quietly in Ryuu's lap, then running around causing a scene.

Fon decided to observe the teen who fit the same description of "Drago". Really, it was like they weren't even trying to hide...which made the possibility that the Storm was openly protecting the girl much higher. The question was, where was the 'dragon' that the civilian had stored in their box and why were there no reports of such a beast?

* * *

 _An hour later..._

Fon was looking for I-Pin. With so many people there (mostly to see "Ryuu-sama", who was very popular indeed) he worried his tiny apprentice might get trampled by accident.

"Stupid cow, settle down already!"

"Make me, Baka-dera!" shouted the loud-mouthed Bovino.

"Where did you even learn that word? Do you see your Master anywhere?"

Fon perked up hearing Chinese instead of Japanese. He promptly went and found a higher perch.

There on a rather petite girl's shoulders, was his missing apprentice.

While I-Pin's near-sighted eyes couldn't see him, the silver-haired bomber recognized him pretty quick.

He pointed out Fon sitting on a concession stand. They made a beeline straight for him.

"I swear they should put in proper age limits, or at least height restrictions. Do you need help getting down?" asked the girl in a calm, soothing tone.

It was a rather effective way to calm down scared children, he noted with approval.

"I am fine. I was merely looking for my apprentice."

I-Pin might not be able to see him properly, but she definitely knew his voice.

" _Teacher!"_

"Is this your apprentice?" asked the girl.

"Thank you for rescuing I-Pin. I'm afraid I underestimated the... popularity... of this Ryuu. I was worried she would be trampled."

"She was actually one of the better players in the game," said the girl. "It's actually the first time I haven't had to intercede for someone who is too small to actually _reach_ the helmet properly without aid."

A good, protective Sky. One who favored small children enough to act on their behalf without a word in compensation.

He desperately hoped that if they cleared up this mess that she had room for more in her home. If I-Pin was the ward of a strong Sky then the odds of her being shoved into the life of an assassin dropped considerably. He'd rather she play this odd game than have to lose her innocence so early.

It was only because she was an active player in Dragon Drive that the Triads hadn't made more noise about sending her out on contracts.

Just then, Fon's stomach made an alarming noise.

He managed to hide his blush from embarrassment, though only just.

The girl smiled warmly.

"Sounds like we could all use some food. If you want you can use my shoulders as a way to avoid the crowds. I'm fairly certain we still have enough food at the house for more people."

"Kiseki-chan, it might not be a good idea to invite him over," said Hayato slowly.

So her name was literally "Miracle". Interesting.

"Stormheart said that I-Pin's master is a good man, if a bit odd and a bit too cryptic at times. I'm sure he also has enough manners to at least keep _trouble_ out of the house and at least take far from where it would bother my neighbors."

The glow of Sky aura in her eyes had Fon hiding a smile behind his sleeve. Clearly if he was there to start a fight, she would rather he do it outside her home.

* * *

The food was delicious, and Fon found himself openly relaxing in the presence of the gentle Sky flames that were in the air. It was calming and pleasant, as opposed to the usual knee-jerk dislike he always had around Triad Skies.

She wasn't attempting to force a Guardian bond (it was unlikely she even knew about the fact she was drawing people to her), and she didn't seem to care why a young girl was calling him Master like it was perfectly normal.

It was nice. And quite soothing, something he hadn't expected when he agreed to look into it for Verde.

It wasn't until he went to use the bathroom (and do some discreet snooping) that he found something which could be used to get Verde off the hook.

It was a well faded photograph, easily ten years old.

And he recognized the lone man in it.

"Kiseki-san, who is this man in the photo?"

Kiseki made a face.

"Officially he's my father. In reality I have never seen that man before in my life save in passing. The last time I heard from him, he dragged my mother off on a year-round cruise," said Kiseki flatly.

Fon could feel pain and the sharp, bitter tang of true loneliness coming off her Flames. Judging by the state of the house, it was likely she had been all alone until Hayato brought Lambo with him to find "Drago".

"I see. Tell me, what do you know of the special boxes that certain players are able to get that bring out dragons?" he asked calmly.

She tilted her head, confused.

"You mean the D-Boxes? I thought only the higher tier players were allowed to know about them because of the ridiculous point requirement?"

Hayato's face hearing that said volumes. He clearly understood what was going on but was powerless to stop it.

Fon's smile was calm.

"So you do know about them."

She reached into her pocket to pull out a familiar box. Hayato made a pained noise, realizing she was the civilian he was _supposed_ to be looking for this whole time.

With a bit of Flames, she even unleashed her dragon.

Which only cleared up another mystery about why no one had been able to find her. The dragon was roughly the same size as a medium-to-large sized dog and could be easily mistaken as a cute doll if it someone saw it.

I-Pin loved it immediately, and went to pet it. Only to get a face full of dragon slobber in return as the tiny dragon started to play with his apprentice and Lambo like a playful kitten. Her delighted laughter brought a real smile on his face.

Hayato was unhappy though. He had to report to Verde he found the one who had the box...and he wouldn't be able to get out of it since Fon had been the one to discover it.

Fon used his phone to call the Lightning.

" _Please tell me you find the missing box."_

"I may have found a way to get the Vindice and Ri-On off your case entirely. Though you'll have to run a simple DNA to verify my suspicions."

" _...Explain."_

"The _girl_ who managed to receive one of the D-Boxes is a civilian with Active Sky flames. Her dragon is more of a pet than one of the usual breeds that people get and can be easily mistaken for a large doll."

" _And this helps me how? The Vindice want to know how a civilian got one of the boxes!"_

"Again, you'll need to do a DNA test to verify my suspicions. You'll also need to get in touch with Lal Mirch to get the other half."

" _...Vongola?"_

"You'll understand when you find out who the genetic donor is. Then you can complain to the idiot responsible about not keeping better track of things. Or more likely to Lal about him being a bigger fool than normal."

Verde cursed.

" _Just send the sample and tell me who I'm supposed to be comparing it to. If only so I can finally send the damn bill to someone and shut them up."_

"Sawada Iemitsu."

Verde cursed even more than usual.

And with the hairs Fon sent (snagged off Kiseki's brush), he was able to confirm the reason why one of the boxes was given to a civilian.

Iemitsu's _daughter_ (and wasn't that a horrifying thought, the idiot of CEDEF having _children_...thank god she wasn't anything like him!) had accidentally slipped through the cracks this whole time.

Which lead to the question whether the Vongola were aware Iemitsu's daughter was a Sky, and why the man hadn't picked up on the fact and presented her to his boss.

Fon would have left it at that (Verde reported with relief that the Vindice backed off upon learning what happened, and the civilians had finally shut up about it upon learning which dragon had been put into the box)...except he accidentally found out who the other partial bond to Kiseki belonged to.

On the plus side, he wouldn't have to worry too much about his nephew anymore, once the bond between them became permanent.


	4. Chapter 4

'Tsuna' perked up when she heard that there was a transfer student. With the confusion of the whole D-Box issue cleared up (Verde was happily claiming ignorance and just asked that she never summon "Sora-chan" in public unless she had a Mist prepared to make it look like a dog or something to throw off suspicion), Hayato had accepted Fon's help to at least make it look like he was living in Japan legally.

Something about how Hayato had the same "Sky" as Fon's nephew. She was not going to ask, considering she openly suspected she knew perfectly well who Fon's nephew was.

Hayato came into the classroom, which set all the more annoying girls squealing.

The fact he promptly took the seat behind her was a relief. It meant she wouldn't have to deal with the jerks who liked to kick her chair during class.

But the thing that made her the happiest was the reason _why_ Hayato stayed. It had nothing to do with this Sky business, whatever it was.

No, Hayato stayed because she was the closest thing to a real friend he had, and his home life wasn't worth speaking of. The whole "he had found a Sky" excuse that Verde planned to give his family was just something to keep them from bothering him later about coming home. If they ever did.

He would rather stay in Namimori crashing in her guest room than go back to Italy. It was like a dream, because for the first time in her life she had a real friend.

And if he happened to blush in the most adorable way whenever she smiled at him...well she wasn't going to say anything.

Poor Uri, having a Tsundere for a partner.

At least Hayato was starting to get along with his dragon better...even if progress was still very slow.

Hayato's face went a bright red when Kiseki hugged him tightly the second they were at the house (mostly to change out of their school uniform).

"What was that for?" he asked embarrassed.

"For staying when no one else did."

Hayato blinked, before he hugged her back. A strange warmth filled him.

Kiseki understood what it was like to be all alone in a crowd of people who walked by and didn't see how much pain you were in.

"So what's the deal with the Disciplinary Committee and why did every punishment end with being 'bitten to death'?" asked Hayato.

Kiseki laughed a little.

"It's just a quirk of Hibari-san's. If you hear the words 'I'm going to bite you to death' or the word 'herbivore', then most people tend to run the other direction because it means he's in one of his moods again. He has a habit of waiting by the gates for latecomers to give them a firm reminder to be on time."

"That does sound like Kyouya," came a chuckle.

They turned to find Fon and I-Pin... though this time I-Pin came armed with a small duffle bag that was just right for her size.

"So what was the excuse you gave the people you work for?"

"I told them I was leaving my apprentice with someone more experienced with the D-Boxes so that she might earn her own. They are particularly eager to get their hands on one, since the point requirement is so high that none of their current men have been able to get it," said Fon.

Left unsaid was that after he helped Verde out, the scientist _might_ have been willing to sell an unbound one to Fon or at least look the other way if Fon cheated to 'buy' one to shut the Triads up.

They would rather have a box to study and play with than deal with a pissed off Fon for going after his apprentice to send her out on contracts before he deemed her ready.

This was a perfect way to make her disappear, especially if Kyouya was willing to keep an eye out for anyone from the Triads after his apprentice once she was able to earn a box of her own.

I-Pin had been happier being around Kiseki and the others than she had in his clan compound.

He wouldn't be the least bit surprised if I-Pin started calling the other girl "big sister" or a variation on the word "mother" with how the older girl treated her. Kiseki was a good role model at least.

"Good thing I added those little stairs for the kids to climb into my bed," chuckled Kiseki with a smile.

It was no secret that the two children had a habit of sneaking into her bed at night to cuddle with her and Sora. Rather than discourage it, since the two were orphans who just wanted something to hold back any nightmares they might have, she made it easier for them.

Fon chuckled as well.

* * *

It was lunch time, and they were on a roof that should have been crowded with other students like the other one was, but was surprisingly empty.

"How come there aren't any other students up here?"

"Because people keep track of Hibari-sempai's habits, and this is the roof he tends to use during the lunch hour if he's not out patrolling. This is generally one of the time periods when he naps like a cat. If we stay quiet, he might not come after us for eating lunch here if he _is_ currently napping."

"People certainly seem to fear this Hibari person a lot," grumbled Hayato.

"I think the polite way of calling it is saying they have a 'healthy respect' for Hibari-sempai. He's the only reason I even come to school before now."

Hayato grinned.

"Sounds to me like you have a crush on my nephew," said a voice.

Kiseki's face went bright red.

"Don't be absurd!" she said embarrassed. A crush on Hibari-sempai? She wasn't that daring!

Unseen by the trio, Hibari was listening in ever since Fon showed up. He was not pleased the carnivore was anywhere near him. Fon knew he was there though.

He rolled his eyes when he heard the word "crush" and "Hibari" in the same question.

"So if you don't have a crush on Hibari, then why did you say he was the only reason you came to school?" asked Hayato, getting in on the light teasing.

"I admire him, nothing more. I'm nowhere near brave enough to dare have something as silly as a crush on one of the top ten hottest boys in school," said Kiseki, hiding her face. "And no, I didn't come up with that list... it's hard not to hear the other girls rate the boys... you're currently in the number four spot."

Hayato rolled his eyes. Like he cared what a bunch of whiny civilian girls thought of him. He only cared about Kiseki's opinion.

"And if it wasn't for Hibari-sempai, the bullying I deal with would be ten times worse. At least with him patrolling the school and biting the worst offenders to the point they either move or get arrested, the most I have to deal with is people mocking me or minor physical harassment. I've never been hurt to the point I had to stay in the hospital for more than a broken arm because of him... I know the school is safe," said Kiseki.

"'Minor physical harassment'?" repeated Hayato dangerously.

"A bit of shoving me out of the way, making me trip or dumping random liquids like water, milk, soda or tea on my head," she admitted. "Like I said, it could have been worse if Hibari-sempai didn't drive out the more dangerous delinquents and didn't patrol most of the grounds so regularly with his committee."

"And you put up with this?" said Fon, eyes narrowing.

"It's not like anyone ever bothered to stand up for me. Hayato is quite literally the _only_ friend I have in the school, and with my mother gone for several more months there's no adult willing to speak out about it. Not that she ever did before, to say nothing of what my other genetic donor told me when I asked him for help," said Kiseki bitterly.

"I'm almost afraid to ask, for fear that I may remove his ability to procreate further," said Fon dryly.

"He told me to 'be a man, and take the punches', before dismissing the fact I was being extensively bullied to the point I gave up on trying in school entirely," said Kiseki sourly. "I've long come to terms with the fact that I'm nothing more than an afterthought in his mind, especially if my mother is around. It's like he only had me to shut someone else up about continuing his line."

Fon had no words. He knew Iemitsu was an idiot (Lal Mirch's bitching on the matter said volumes of how much she had to deal with on a regular basis) but this was a new low he hadn't expected.

"So what do you think of my nephew?" asked Fon in a light joking manner.

"He scares me," said Kiseki.

"He scares you?" said Hayato.

"What about him scares you?" asked Fon, knowing perfectly well Kyouya was listening to every word.

"He's strong, passionate about his protection of the school and is always so quick to jump into a fight if he thinks it will be interesting. That's what scares me," said Kiseki without thinking.

"So you're afraid of violence?" asked Hayato, slightly disappointed.

She shook her head.

"No, what terrifies me is that I'm worried one day he'll leave the relatively small pond of Namimori only to end up biting off more than he can chew, only to end up eaten by a much bigger fish or caged like an attack dog for someone who won't care about him as a person, only as a weapon. Can you imagine the damage the Triads would do to someone as independent as Hibari-sempai? They'd either kill him or turn him into a slave!" said Kiseki shuddering. "He's so used to the relatively small time dangers of Namimori that he might not be able to judge a real threat from outside it and get badly hurt."

Fon's eyes lit up with understanding.

"You're not scared _of_ Kyouya. You're scared _for_ him," he said.

"I know he's strong, and he's a very good fighter. But his pride won't let him back down easily from a fight that looks remotely like it would be challenging and fun. And guns are so readily available outside Japan..." said Kiseki with worry.

She completely missed the fact said prefect was right behind her until she felt the light rap of his tonfa on her head. Her eyes were wide with shock and disbelief when she registered who had hit her.

"Hmph. Small animals shouldn't worry about carnivores like me," he said with annoyance. Only Fon caught the fact Hibari was lightly blushing.

Not only had his Sky openly praised him for all the points he took great pride in (his ability to protect his territory, the fact he was the strongest person in it, and the fact she openly trusted him to keep it safe for small animals like her), but she admitted she was more terrified of him being _hurt_ or caged than she was about the fact he was a very violent, antisocial person.

Fon hid a smile at the way Kyouya's Cloud started to drift even closer to his Sky. His nephew was lucky to find someone who understood him so well.

"Makes me wonder what would happen if he joined Dragon Drive with us," said Hayato.

Hibari narrowed his eyes.

"What is this 'dragon drive'?"

"It's a game set up by a colleague of mine and a company called Ri-On. Basically you get paired with a dragon that matches you and enter into a battle royal against other players. It ends when the time limit is up or there's only one person left," said Fon, before he continued in Mandarin. _"Considering you're my nephew, you would easily be able to earn a special box that allows you to summon your dragon in the real world once you earned enough points. Though there are certain restrictions. Your small animal is very popular, even though no one knows who she really is in the game."_

"Ah! Is it okay to bring Sora out?" asked Kiseki hopefully.

"Seeing your little one might interest Kyouya into at least looking at the game," said Fon. "Or you could just bring out your extra cards that you've been collecting."

Kiseki reached into a standard deck holder she had against her ankle. She had a good feeling about today, so she brought her cards with her.

"These are Dragon Drive cards," said Kiseki, handing him a few.

"Why do you have so many? I thought it was one dragon per person?" asked Hayato baffled.

"Do you know what happens to the cards of players who quit? They get destroyed if they aren't lost by accident. These cards represent dragons that kids have put their hopes and dreams into, for however brief a time. So if I see someone who's about to move on or is frustrated with their dragon and wants to 'trade in' for a new one, I offer to take it off their hands for points. Most kids are happy to hand them over for enough points to buy something at the shops with without thinking twice. It's why I liked you as a potential friend when we first met...despite how much trouble Uri has given you, you've never traded him in for a different dragon or given up on him," said Kiseki.

Hibari looked over the cards.

"How realistic is this?" he asked.

"Very. Enough so that if someone were harmed in the game, such as if they fell from a great height, then it could cause real-life damage," said Fon dryly.

"You ever heard of the series _Sword Art Online_?" asked Kiseki.

"Vaguely. I don't follow such ridiculous things," admitted Hibari.

"It's a lot like that, except there's no madman to trap the players in the game and you battle with dragons instead of swords," said Kiseki.

"What's your dragon?"

Kiseki pulled out a strange orange box. With a little Flame, Sora came out with a loud yawn. She cuddled her small-sized dragon.

"This is my partner Sora. Though I often use one of the cards I've rescued to play with...there's nothing in the rules against it."

Hibari looked at the small dragon. It yawned again, before looking him right back in the eye. He smirked.

"It suits you. Tiny body, a lot of potential power waiting to be unleashed," he commented.

He might not know much about dragons, but he could sense a real potential carnivore in the dragon the girl was cuddling with.

Hearing the bell, Kiseki reluctantly put Sora back into the box.


	5. Chapter 5

Ryuu and Hayato stared at the dragon Hibari got once they brought him to the Sea Palace (as it was called among the players).

"I don't know whether to be impressed he got such a rare dragon, or terrified of him being in the game with us," admitted Hayato.

Kiseki couldn't help but think that the Light Night's Knight suited Hibari perfectly. It was a rare, and very powerful, dragon that heavily resembled a bird of sorts that had a very proud personality and a fast attack speed.

Fon looked distinctly pleased himself.

Hibari gave his usual glare to the card, before getting into one of the designated chairs. He was not impressed with the way the herbivores were crowding simply because his small animal was there in a mask and hoodie.

Kiseki grinned behind her dragon mask. This was a good chance to get Hibari-sempai interested in the game by presenting a _real_ challenge. Besides, she rarely had a real excuse to use the stronger dragons in her 'deck'.

Once in D-Break, she flew on Sora up into the Clouds and waited for Hibari to join her once he got the handle of his dragon Hibird.

(She had to laugh at the name a bit.)

It didn't take much for him to gain the respect of his dragon enough to fly high.

Outside in the real world, Ryuu's fan base and an amused Fon watched in shock (which quickly turned into a roar of approval) when Ryuu decided to skip the usual protective role they took...and went into offense for a change.

"This is a new turn of events folks! It seems this mystery rookie has garnered the attention of the great dragon master Ryuu! Just look at them control all those dragons!" said L.

It was a skill Ryuu rarely showed, because they generally stayed out of it. But whoever this rookie player was, he had to be a big deal for the great Ryuu to bring in his heavy hitters so early or use their little known ability.

Fon was chuckling when he saw the wild grin on Kyouya's face. He had come in, expected to be bored from the 'herbivores game'...only to discover his Sky was in fact a carnivore in her own right with the correct circumstances. He was openly having fun, and gaining absolute control from "Hibird".

And no, Kiseki wasn't the only one to internally laugh at the name.

It was almost a shame when the time limit ran up, with neither side giving a single inch.

"What an unprecedented game we had today! We can only hope to see more action from Ryuu-sama and this newcomer, Hibari Kyouya!" said L.

Hibari stalked up to the little dragon.

"Wao. That was more fun than I anticipated."

"You seem to get along really well with Hibird," said Kiseki, giggling lightly at the name. It was a cute name for a fierce bird-like dragon.

"Hmph. He learned who the alpha was among us," said Hibari with a proud expression. His dragon only had to feel the bite of his tonfas _once_ before he fell in line with what he wanted to do. And his control only grew once the bird knew what he was trying to accomplish.

Apparently he wasn't the only one who craved a good fight against a challenging opponent. He could tell Hibird was really getting into the fight with his small animal.

Or small dragon, in this case. He knew that runty looking thing was stronger than it appeared when he first saw it. And he wasn't disappointed.

Sora packed a strong punch for a runt.

"I take it that you're interested in the game?" asked Fon amused.

Hibari looked annoyed.

"I'd rather see what my small dragon can do when she's not hiding her real nature. This is the first time I've seen her properly _fight_ like a carnivore, rather than hide as a weak prey," said Hibari.

Fon hid a grin hearing that.

"In that case we should probably head to the training area. You'll earn more exp without having to deal with the time limit or a lack of opponents, and I can summon more dragons there. They were really happy to be called to fight a real opponent for once," said Kiseki.

"You can understand them, little dragon?" asked Hibari.

"I think it's something I got from Sora. It's why I can train the dragons I rescue without having them fight me so much in the beginning, once they get over the shock of a new master."

"So _that's_ how you knew about my sister!" said Hayato.

He had bitched to himself often enough while riding Uri about Bianchi, with a healthy complaint ratio against his father as well.

If she could hear the voices of dragons, then that explained how she knew about Bianchi and his dad when he had never brought it up.

* * *

Hibari was positively radiating a good mood the next day. He had been enjoying himself for _hours_ playing with his small dragon and her rather large contingent of followers.

He might have the Disciplinary Committee and Kusakabe...but Kiseki (aka Ryuu) had great beasts that fools discarded out of boredom or because they were too weak to see their full potential. He hadn't had such a challenge since he wiped out the only _serious_ yakuza in town.

The only ones left were those who were smart enough not to do anything he strongly disapproved of within town limits, or hid themselves from his view entirely.

The last idiots who tried to peddle drugs or weapons had been bitten to death in short order, with the Momoyoukai completely disposing of the crates without him having to lift a finger.

And he knew that for a fact, because his men saw them tossing every single crate that had drugs into an incinerator, and quietly dispersing the illegal weapons to their men _outside_ the city.

They knew their place. Specifically they knew damn well Hibari would pay them a personal visit if he found more than swords or knives among the yakuza in his town, and had a zero tolerance policy for drugs.

He barely tolerated the illegal gambling rings as it was.

Seeing his small dragon come into her own, with a predator's grin on her face as she played with him in virtual reality sent a shiver down his spine of delight and a strange warmth to start crawling through his body.

He couldn't wait for the day the little dragon cast off her insecurity and timid nature in the real world to fight back against those who bothered her in the school. He'd happily make the police and the school look the other way if it happened.

* * *

It was a perfectly ordinary routine that had developed...if one were to discount the fact Hibari was becoming a regular in D. D. when he wasn't patrolling the city, or just wanted to have a match with "Ryuu".

He was acquiring a reputation of his own among the serious players as someone to be feared. Not only was he terrifying in the game to go up against, but he was equally scary outside it as well!

The only reason people didn't avoid him completely was because despite being absolutely terrifying when it came to fighting, he was openly 'friends' with Ryuu and never went after weaker players. He only ever challenged those who could possibly handle a fight against him, which generally meant he went after the higher tier players with the really strong dragons that trained their asses off.

It only took him two months to earn enough points to 'buy' a D-Box.

Even if Verde decided to tweak it, because he had never made one designed for a Cloud flame before now. They were so rare (and there were none on the 'approved' list from the mafia familigias) that he hadn't bothered to design one.

Hibari's special box was designed to only let out Hibird out in different sizes, depending on the amount of Flame he put into it.

A small burst of Flame like the ones Kiseki generally used to let out Sora produced a small 'bird' that looked a bit like an oddly shaped canary that could chirp actual _words_ and used him as a nest.

Bigger ones produced the full sized beast ready to rip people into shreds or turn them into pin cushions from it's feather missiles.

Hibari had been inordinately pleased with that... and Hibird became a common sight around the school. Kiseki almost laughed herself sick the day she caught Hibird 'singing' the Namimori Middle School song, which she knew very well was also Hibari's ringtone.

However Kiseki knew it was going to be a total headache when she saw who was in the D. D. center.

She did her very best to avoid groaning openly.

"What is it?"

"Himuro Hikaru," she said in open annoyance.

Hayato blinked.

"Isn't that the second ranked best player in D. D. from the Japanese division?"

"He's never forgiven Ryuu for kicking his ass with Sora every time L manages to drag him out of wherever he dens," groaned Kiseki. "I'll bet you anything L brought him here to play with Hibari-sempai. Hikaru is always looking for 'worthy' opponents."

"I thought you didn't mind Hibari's habit of going after others?"

"Hibari only challenges the stronger players and ignores the weaker ones entirely as not worth the effort. Hikaru goes after _everyone_ in the game and kills them off so fast that no one wants to play against him. Every time he's shown up I have to get him to focus entirely on _me_ just so the younger ones have a chance to play at all," said Kiseki in disgust.

"Ah. And you hate the fact he'll target weaker players just for being in the same vicinity of him, rather than fight against those who could be actual challenges."

"L knows perfectly well we don't get along, which is why it annoys me that she didn't give me a head's up that he was coming."

As they went to the staging area, Ryuu was very clearly annoyed even if they didn't say anything, or openly glare at Hikaru.

Hibari noticed the tension between them and looked at Hayato.

"He's like you, except he goes after _everyone_ in the game and doesn't bother to differentiate between strong or weak. Ryuu always has to hold his attention if the weaker players want to have any battle time without being wiped out," he said quietly.

L looked rather nervous. She could feel Ryuu's annoyance with her. She only hoped the masked player didn't find out that L called Hikaru in specifically to get a decent gauge of Hibari Kyouya's skill level in an area they could record it.

Ryuu and their group favored the 'restricted' training grounds for those with underworld connections. Only a very select group could even use those machines and the agreement was that nothing would ever be recorded later because of the special energy the underworld types used.

She really didn't want to find out what chaos Ryuu could cause if they found out she had called Hikaru in. She knew better than most that Ryuu greatly disliked Hikaru's habits of targeting the weaker players simply because he thought they were 'in the way' even if the players were on the other side of the D-Zone from him.

 _In the D-Zone_

Hibari thought this "Hikaru" would be a decent challenge, especially if Ryuu was openly irritated by the boy's presence.

While the teen was a decent fighter, he was a disappointment.

"Hmph. You're weaker than I was given to believe. I thought you'd be more of a challenge. Ryuu is more fun to 'play' with," said Hibari with annoyance.

The boy was overconfident, lazy, and somewhat reminded Hibari of himself except he didn't bother to really keep his skills sharpened regularly. He might be more interesting if he actually put some real effort into training, but as he was now...

Hibari rated him as 'barely worth fighting'.

Hikaru glared at him, clearly sensing Hibari's disdain of his skills.

Ryuu... was too busy trying not to laugh openly.

She flew to Hibari, tapped him on the shoulders and made a series of hand signs that she learned from Fon.

Hibari went from bored and annoyed to darkly amused.

She had basically told him to "have fun beating the idiot".

Once safely above the two, Hibari went after Hikaru with a vengeance, to the open shock of the 'civilian'. It was clear to anyone who was looking at Ryuu that the smallest teen in the game was laughing their ass off with glee despite being quiet about it.

Payback was a bitch.

Seeing Ryuu openly _hug_ Hibari the second the battle royal ended set off quite a few fans... especially those who openly believed Ryuu to be a guy.

Kiseki would be horrified when a few weeks later she stumbled across some rather...interesting...links to several fan sites dedicated to the D. D. players which had everything from fanfiction to fan art.

Apparently the 'Winged Knight and the Dragon Master' was becoming a major hit pairing among her fans.

"What the hell?!"

Fon was too busy laughing his ass off when he saw what Kiseki was looking at.

No way was he _not_ using this for teasing rights when it came to Kyouya. Especially since there were a few that had his nephew _bottoming_ for "Ryuu".

Kyouya was _not_ amused at all when he found out.


	6. Chapter 6

Hibari stared at his uncle.

"Let me get this straight. You're a toddler in real life, yet in here you can look your actual age, complete with your skills," said Hibari slowly.

"The curse only affects me in the physical sense, not the spiritual or mental. And Dragon Drive draws out the 'mind' to play, rather than the body," said Fon smiling normally. He didn't need to be a mind reader to guess what his nephew was planning.

And he didn't have to wait long for Hibari to give off a truly terrifying grin as he attacked Fon without hesitation. It had always pissed him off that his uncle was so small, yet he was still able to keep up despite having a tiny body.

Being able to fight his uncle for real, even if it was in virtual reality, was something he was not going to pass up. And from the feral grin on Fon's face, the feeling was mutual.

Kiseki sighed with amusement, before returning to her grooming session of Hibird and the others. Uri was far more cooperative when Hayato started to help clean his fur, and only grumbled about it out of habit rather than any real annoyance.

Hayato was such a tsundere that it often made Kiseki laugh when she was sure he wouldn't notice. She was sure if she called him out on it and said that she found it adorable he would blush like a tomato whenever someone brought it up.

* * *

Hibari was in such a good mood the next day (despite having lost, badly) that most of the students were of the distinct opinion he had gotten laid last night.

Those that frequented Dragon Drive also assumed that he had gotten 'lucky' with Ryuu-sama.

Hibari was not amused when he found no less than _ten_ new X-rated doujinshi the next week featuring him and "Ryuu-sama".

He was far too aware that some of his minions had found out about those sites and were sharing the new ones with each other.

At least they had the sense not to discuss those annoying things in his presence. He would have bitten them to death the second he knew what they were reading.

Hibari's annoyance about the doujinshi and fanfictions featuring him and Ryuu grew to a breaking point.

"If you don't do something about this, _I_ will," said Hibari darkly.

Kiseki blinked.

"Why does that give me a foreboding feeling?"

Hibari's aura darkened.

"I have one idea that might get the fans off your back. But you had better up the patrols around _every_ area of the campus once people realize the truth," said Kiseki tiredly.

"Deal."

"What are you going to do?" asked Hayato.

"I'm going to let people figure out I'm a girl," shrugged Kiseki. "I won't reveal my face, but that should be buzz worthy enough to get the fans to at least knock off the yaoi pairings. Besides, those fan girls are beyond irritating and some of them have been harassing me with my mask off for years. It's about time I knocked them down several pegs when they realize they've been crushing on another girl."

Hibari smirked.

"I'm amazed no one figured it out sooner. Your behavior isn't very typical of a male, no matter how you look at it. And you always sit with your legs closed when you're riding your dragons, rather than with them split apart. It's almost like you're riding a horse side-saddle," said Hibari dryly.

"And yet you're the only one who's noticed that sort of thing. And really, how is it no one's figured out I'm a girl when Lambo openly calls me his 'big sister' every time we bring him? Being foreign can only work for so long with that sort of thing."

"Maybe I should just call you Ryuu-hime when we're in the game," joked Hayato.

"Hmm... Ryuu-hime has a nice ring to it!" said Kiseki joking.

Hibari smirked.

"The dragon princess."

"This coming from a girl who doesn't own a single skirt or feminine piece of clothing in her wardrobe," said Fon dryly.

Kiseki whipped her head to glare at him.

"How could you possibly know that?"

"I'm not the one who hangs most of the laundry to dry save for the undergarments," he replied. "It took me a week to realize that I had never once seen anything resembling female clothing in your laundry when it was outside."

Kiseki blushed.

"Does this have anything to do with why you never wear the correct uniform?" asked Hibari, narrowing his eyes.

"Mochida-san and several other boys got even _worse_ when puberty hit. I've noticed him going after no less than three different girls, one of which is Sasegawa-san in my class. If it wasn't for Kurokawa-san, Kyoko might have to deal with worse than badly worded flirting. To say nothing of how snide some of the looser girls are to those who don't have a chest bigger than a B-cup," she replied, not looking him in the eye. "It's easier to simply pretend I'm a boy than deal with that sort of harassment."

Even if she had to get her mother to sign her up specifically for cooking classes, despite the fact that everyone automatically assumed her to be a boy.

Hibari narrowed his eyes. Even if there was little he could do about that harassment, he could deliver a warning to Mochida about bothering the female herbivores at least.

The kendoist was getting ideas above his station for a while now.

* * *

 _A few hours later..._

Hibari agreed to stage a well aimed blast to disguise the fact Ryuu's jacket hadn't been zipped up properly and reveal "Ryuu" was in fact a female.

Once they were up in the air, Hibari and Hibird went on the immediate offensive, and during an agreed upon signal Hibird's feathers filled the area and hide the fact Ryuu let their jacket flap openly in the virtual windstorm.

The shock of seeing brief snatches of Ryuu's caramel-colored hair and the very clear view of a moderately-sized bust stunned the watchers outside the game into absolute silence.

Fon was busy taking pictures of their expressions for later. This was hilarious.

The fact Hayato openly called the masked fighter "Ryuu-hime" loudly enough for everyone to hear it on the screens cemented the fact that the great "Ryuu-sama" was actually a _girl_.

Fon found it very entertaining indeed to record the reactions of the audience to this fact. Some of the rather vocal fan girls (who he avoided because they gave him headaches to listen to their mindless squealing) were openly crying in disappointment learning their "prince" was in fact a "princess" in her own right.

Some of the smarter teens were putting together the little clues and were face palming at having missed the obvious.

Ryuu acted more like an overprotective "big sister" figure to the younger players and the small children who for some reason managed to get into the game than a real boy. It made a lot more sense that the best player in Japan had a naturally nurturing personality, considering Ryuu-sama was a girl.

The fact it was also going to piss off Hikaru Himuro immensely learning he had gotten his ass kicked repeatedly by such a tiny girl was bonus.

L was a bit speechless herself. Fortunately her professionalism allowed her to recover in admirable time enough to act as though she had known this beforehand.

"Well it seems Ryuu- _hime_ has forgotten to zip their jacket up for once. I wonder if the great Dragon Master will reveal her real face next?" said L cheerfully, clearly shocked.

It took mere hours for the website to explode over the fact Ryuu-sama was in fact Ryuu- _hime_.

Even if the yaoi fangirls were devastated, it didn't take long for _new_ doujinshi and fanfictions to spring up concerning the dragon princess and her 'winged knight', to the open annoyance of Hibari.

At least he never saw any more of him being the 'submissive' in the relationship. Those had really pissed him off.

* * *

Kiseki had to fight the grin off her face when she heard the more snide girls in her class whispering about the shocking reveal of Ryuu-sama's real gender. They had been the most avid supporters of a yaoi relationship between Ryuu-sama and Hibari-sempai.

It took everything she had in her not to giggle or laugh her ass off hearing their disappointment.

She managed to last all the way to lunch, and the second the door was closed she started howling.

Hayato snickered.

"What's got her in a good mood?"

"Seems the more annoying idiots in our class were upset learning Ryuu is a girl. All of them were Ryuu fangirls and now they have to come to terms with the fact they were crushing on another girl and advocating a yaoi pairing that would never exist. She looked like she had to use the restroom badly with how hard she was trying not to laugh during class," explained Hayato.

Hibari snorted.

He let Kiseki laugh her ass off, now that she could get it out without blowing her gender out of the water twice in a week. She wore herself out so much that once she finished her lunch she ended up napping on the fence, which was very old.

Hayato grinned.

"Want me to tell the teachers she went home early?"

Hibari nodded.

"I'll take her to the Disciplinary Committee room if she doesn't wake up once the next period is over."

Thanks to her, he had a surefire way to kill his boredom _and_ fight his annoying Uncle on semi-equal terms without Fon trying to hold back as much as normal.

The fact he could clearly remember her stating exactly how she felt about him and that she wasn't the least bit afraid of his skills or the fact he was so violent made his behavior a bit more tolerant than he would have been otherwise.

Kiseki was a carnivore that hid behind the guise of a herbivore... which made her an omnivore in his mind. That meant she was tolerable and he would put up with her presence a bit more readily.

Besides, the look on Kusakabe's face when he found out Hibari was allowing a _female_ student to openly nap in HIS office was sure to be worth carrying her there if she didn't wake up in time.

Hibari barely tolerated the female herbivore's crowding.

When the bell rang for the next period, he waited for a decent amount of time before checking on the dozing Ryuu-hime. He didn't need to guess at the fastest route to his office...he knew them all by heart, and almost wished the girl was awake so he could watch her reaction when she realized he was carrying her 'princess style' through the corridors.

All of which were completely empty when he came down. And no one would dare question him if they _did_ happen to see the two.

He laid the still slumbering Kiseki on the couch, and since he _was_ raised something close to a gentleman (if only to make his mother happy), he laid his school jacket on top of her as a makeshift blanket.

With little else to do, he went to work on the paperwork piling up on his desk. By the time the bell rang again, he had finished most of that...something which would shock Kusakabe a little considering how much he loathed it.

Seeing the sun hitting the couch, he smirked and carefully maneuvered Kiseki so that she was napping in his lap.

It said volumes of her trust in him that instead of waking up, she actually _curled_ into him and almost started purring when he put his hand on her head.

The omnivore was really too cute for words when she dropped all her defenses and was acting so vulnerable. Almost like a little defenseless kitten.

It was strange. The way the omnivore was napping in his lap made an odd warmth his uncle had spoken about once seem to fill his being. The sense of being _home_ , of having someone who accepted him and all his quirks without hesitation, was odd. But in a very good way.

He was starting to understand why Fon called the feeling of 'Harmony' Skies generated "spiritual glue".

He didn't even realize when he began to doze himself, one hand resting on Kiseki's soft hair and the other propping his head up under his chin.

It was to this scene that Hayato and Kusakabe entered to find after school hours, and Hayato quickly held up a single finger in the universal signal for silence before holding up his phone with a grin.

Kusakabe didn't ask, as he silently produced his own phone and the two right hands began to take multiple blackmail pictures. Hibari would _never_ admit to this to outsiders, and Fon would find it very adorable with the way his nephew was openly letting his Sky rest in his lap like this. _Especially_ since Kyouya had also put his jacket over her like a blanket.

If Hibari hadn't been showing the signs of harmonization with Kiseki before, this would have been all the proof Fon would have needed to suspect his nephew had found a Sky of his own. That or a girlfriend.


	7. Chapter 7

It was summer vacation, and Kiseki's mother was due to come home within three months. If her genetic donor didn't drag Nana straight off to Italy to live with him full time.

Fon had recognized him, and the second Kiseki found out the bastard had been lying to them the whole time and was living it up in Italy while giving out the worst excuses she had ever heard in her life...well she had cut off any claims Iemitsu had to her then and there.

As far as she was concerned, he was one of those idiots who jerked off in a clinic for some extra cash and her mother had gone into be artificially impregnated. The man who showed up occasionally was a drifter who simply bore a strong resemblance to the nameless creep who her mother fantasized as her husband.

Since they didn't have school, Hayato, Kiseki and Hibari were in the special training area for Flame Actives, with Fon, Lambo and I-Pin joining them.

Fon was somewhat amused when he spotted a familiar face in the game with them, observing everything with interest.

"Hello Colonello. I take it you heard about this from Verde."

"This is amazing, kora!" he said enthusiastically.

Though whether he was talking about the simulated reality or the fact that because of a quirk in the machines they were able to take their original forms before the curse was debatable.

Kiseki had taken one look at him before she hid her blush. What was with Italians being that good looking?

The newcomer called Colonello caught her reaction and gave off an easy grin. For some reason she had the mental image of a guard dog, or one of the working breeds that the police used. Loyal, hardworking and steadfast in a crisis.

Seeing the tall, handsome blond wink at her (and Fon hid an amused smile), the teens all congregated around a lake that was heated from below via a thermal vent. Since this was all digital, they never had to worry about the 'volcano' becoming active, or if it did, spreading a deadly wave of gases and heat through the lake.

Colonello took a running leap into the water with a loud whoop (enjoying the fact he was technically un-cursed to create a bigger splash than normal) and did a perfect cannonball that swamped most of those in the lake save for Fon (who was on the edge of the water) and Hibari (who moved out of the way in time)

Kiseki mock growled at him, before she smirked.

"GET HIM!"

"Oh that is so not fair," he playfully complained as several of her rescued dragons jumped in, thus creating an even _bigger_ wave that had him drenched from head to toe in seconds.

Fon chuckled.

Everyone was having a great time in the water battle (Colonello joined forces with the boys while the girls had the dragons on their side). It was almost a shame when they had to leave, being completely soaked.

"We so have to do this again, kora!"

"Wonder if Skull would enjoy this game," said Fon, amused.

"Knowing him he'd love the fact he could fly a dragon and do all sorts of crazy stunts, while Reborn and Viper would just be happy to be out of their toddler forms," said Colonello chuckling. "Too bad Lal's keeping CEDEF from imploding since that idiot went on a year-long cruise without any warning."

Kiseki paused, her smile fixed on her face.

"Year-long cruise?"

"Yeah, she was bitching about that for _months_ when he suddenly up and decided to use up all that extra vacation time for a romantic cruise with his wife, who he hadn't bothered to visit in years. I heard a rumor that something happened involving his kid, but nothing really concrete."

"Is her boss's name Sawada by any chance?" asked Kiseki.

"Iemitsu Sawada," confirmed Colonello, before he remembered that this girl was supposed to be a civilian. It took him very little time to put the connection together. "Wait, you're..."

"Hayato, if I remember correctly I saw several items in your room that are good for making pipe-bombs, correct? And please don't lie about it. It wasn't _that_ hard to guess you specialize in explosives when you first came to live at my house," said Kiseki with a pleasant smile.

She was not an idiot.

The way Fon reacted to her fears of Kyouya being forced into the Triads? The fact Hayato refused to explain where his sister got the poisons that she repeatedly force fed him? Lambo and the rather large number of grenades, ammo and actual _guns_ sent by his family who didn't think twice about sending a five year old to a foreign country with a complete stranger?

She would have to be blind and dumb not to at least _guess_ that they were part of the criminal underground. Which meant her genetic donor had a hell of a lot of explaining to do, if ever even remotely wanted a chance for a decent relationship with his daughter.

A chance that was dying very swiftly the more lies she uncovered.

Hayato winced openly.

"I thought you were a civilian, kora?" asked Colonello confused.

"I _am_. But that idiot who I unfortunately share half my genetics with has been lying to me for years, on top of the nonsense he's put me through. He should be grateful I haven't tried to scout out how much it would cost to put a professional hit on him already. I can't be _that_ hard to find someone willing to do it."

"I would advise against it. The mafia tends to frown upon patricide," said Fon dryly, not even denying it at this point.

"That would imply he was a father to begin with. He is around so rarely and has done nothing to earn the title, outside of getting my mother pregnant. It takes more than having a child to be a father," she said curtly.

Colonello winced.

"Besides, that man is stupid enough to fall for something as basic as a bomb in the mail. If I were to forward it correctly he wouldn't even realize the danger until after the thing blew up in his face," said Kiseki darkly.

"Just out of curiosity, how _would_ you pull something like that off?" asked Fon morbidly.

"He'd open anything with my mother's name and handwriting. He's so in 'love-love' with her that he's oblivious to reality," said Kiseki dryly. "You should see the two of them whenever he's actually around. It's positively nauseating."

Colonello chuckled.

"I'd believe it. Be hilarious if it did work," he said relaxing.

"But really, it only took me two weeks to figure out you were in the criminal underworld. I'm not that oblivious...and it really doesn't help that Lambo isn't exactly subtle. Though I'm guessing you're in the Triads," she said looking at Fon, who nodded in silent admittance.

"And you're fine with that?" asked Hayato, hopeful.

"Have I run away screaming? You're the only friend I even _have_ at my school and these two are the closest thing I have to siblings. The fact you're all technically criminals...or ex-military in the case of blondie... doesn't really bother me in the least. If it did, then I would be a lot more afraid of Kyouya," she said dryly.

Hibari (who had convinced her to call him "Kyouya" in private after the incident when she woke up napping in his office on his lap) smirked.

"An omnivore has less to fear from carnivores than the herbivores we're forced to deal with in that school," he said amused, eyes glinting darkly.

Still, when they came out of the D-Zone, everyone was a lot more relaxed now that they didn't have to hide anything from the lone civilian.

The fact she was so openly accepting of their true natures just made them all a little closer. Especially since Fon was "polite" enough to keep all Triad business well away from Namimori on principle. Kiseki was not pleased learning that if not for the game, I-Pin would have been forced to take out hits at the tender age of five. The fact she hugged the little girl a little tighter after hearing that said volumes of how she felt about that idea.

* * *

"So let me get this straight. This game allows us to walk around in our _real_ bodies, even though our physical ones are still toddler-sized?" said Reborn seriously.

"Yeah, shocked me too kora. Fon seems to be enjoying his downtime in between hits. He looks more relaxed than I've ever seen him. There's this one girl I think you'd enjoy hanging around. She's an Active Sky, but she only has a Storm, a baby Lightning and a really powerful Cloud. She openly talked about sending the braying jackass a pipe bomb," said Colonello chuckling.

"...What does she have against Iemitsu?" asked Reborn amused.

"He's her genetic donor, according to her. The dumbass goes on and on about his son, without ever once mentioning his daughter."

"Hold on. How did you meet his _daughter_ if his civilian family is on a cruise?" asked Reborn frowning.

Colonello blinked.

"From the way she was acting, I don't think he bothered to get her a ticket as well. She openly mentioned having the Smoking Bomb kid in her house as well as Fon's apprentice and the Bovino brat that annoyed you so much. I think he left her alone in the house and only took his wife."

"That man truly is an idiot. How the hell did no one notice he only brought his wife on that cruise and left his child unprotected?"

"She's protected now. Fon makes frequent visits to check on his apprentice...and the Cloud is his nephew. And I don't see Smoking Bomb letting anything happen to his Sky."

Reborn shook his head.

"So where did you get into this machine again?"

"You could always ask Verde. He's got a few of them in his lab, from what I heard. Or at least has a list of all the places where you could find one."

Reborn made a note of that. It would be worth looking into, at the very least. Even if it wasn't totally real, the chance to walk around in his adult form was very tempting. He might have come to terms with the fact he would die with this curse on him, but he didn't have to _like_ the fact he was toddler-sized.

But not before visiting Timoteo and possibly sowing some chaos by getting Iemitsu into some very hot water for leaving his child alone without any real support.

"Ciaossu, Nono," said Reborn. He had waited for the Vongola Don to call him in, rather than make an appointment.

"Hello old friend. What new gossip do you have to share?" asked Timoteo indulgently.

"Other than Iemitsu being a bigger idiot than normal and leaving his child completely unprotected while he took his wife on a long cruise, not much," said Reborn, buffing his nails.

"...Excuse me?"

"Iemitsu didn't take his _daughter_ when he booked that cruise. She was left in Japan all alone without even her mother in the house. And yet somehow she managed to secure a Storm, Lightning and Cloud while her mother was off spending time with the idiot," said Reborn, enjoying the disbelief on Timoteo's face.

"How do you know this?" asked Timoteo, carefully schooling his face. But Reborn could tell he had shocked the old man.

The fact Iemitsu was a father was well known. However the fact his wife gave birth to a female _Sky_ wasn't.

"Colonello found out through Fon, who is the Cloud's uncle," said Reborn casually. "You know that game that all the younger mafioso are enamored with involving dragons? She's the reigning champion of Japan. I believe they call her Ryuu-hime these days."

Timoteo choked on his coffee.

"You're telling me Iemitsu _left_ his teenage daughter all alone in that house for months?" he said horrified. Who knew what the girl would get up to.

"She's not exactly alone these days. Smoking Bomb Hayato, Lambo of the Bovino familigia and Fon's apprentice are living there with her, with Fon visiting regularly from what I heard," said Reborn.

Timoteo groaned. He really needed to have a long talk with Iemitsu about what was acceptable and what wasn't.

"I could always ask her personally. Verde's agreed to let me act as one of his test subjects to see if Colonello and Fon were flukes, or if this quirk of the machines is standard," said Reborn, enjoying the havoc he was causing.

"Let me make a list. I want you to assess exactly how much damage control we'll be doing," said Timoteo.

Top of which was security...right after finding out how the hell the girl managed to break the seal enough to start collecting guardians. He had promised Iemitsu that he would allow his child to remain a civilian. Something that was almost impossible for active Skies.

* * *

Within a few days, Reborn was in the modified machine (mostly scaled down for Arcobaleno and for the use of young children like I-Pin or Lambo) and entering the D-Zone for the first time.

To his surprise and delight, Leon came along with him.

It took him a few moments to adjust to having his adult body back, but the wild grin on his face would have scared anyone who saw him.

"Now, to find this heiress and get a few answers."

With the death of Enrico and Massimo, the only ones eligible to become Decimo were Federico, Xanxus, and this mystery girl who had been in hiding since she was born.

He was about to 'log out' when he heard the sound of something flying overhead. Normally he would ignore it, as he had the other dragons who had passed by.

Except his instincts as a hit man and chaos magnet had him look up.

There, flying on a tiger-like dragon was Fon, his apprentice, and another girl who was holding a smaller dragon with white scales.

Target acquired.

 _On Stormheart..._

Fon blinked, and looked over the side of Stormheart. He would swear he just saw Reborn down there.

Which was entirely likely. Reborn might have heard about the odd 'glitch' that gave them their old bodies from Colonello and knowing him would have gone to Verde for the list of places to go, or to borrow one of his machines.

"Something wrong?" asked Kiseki.

"I thought I saw someone I know down there. If it was him, he's going to be following us or trying to," said Fon.

Kiseki looked around, before spotting a clearing.

"Stormheart, could you land there for a second? It's usually clear of dragons this time of day," said Kiseki.

The dragon roared, before it went down for a landing. It purred under Kiseki's hand.

"Chaos, Fon," said a voice soon after they landed. A tall, dark and handsome man walked out of the woods with a lizard on his hat. "I'm already loving this odd place."

"Considering you don't have that lisp anymore, I can understand why," said Fon dryly. "Hello Reborn."

Reborn tilted his hat in greeting.

"So who are these two lovely ladies?" he said with a wink.

Kiseki blushed a little. She really wished she had her mask on right now. Fon rolled his eyes.

"This is Ryuu-hime and my apprentice I-Pin."

"Ryuu-hime?" he said with a cocky smirk. "Are you sure it's not Sawada?"

Kiseki's nervousness dropped in an instant.

"Do not compare me to that bastard. As far as I'm concerned he can drop dead and I wouldn't shed a single tear," said Kiseki coldly.

"Reborn, drop it," said Fon flatly.

"I would...except Nono was openly concerned when he found out she had been living all alone in the house without any supervision," said Reborn shrugging.

Kiseki looked like he had hit her.

"Why the hell should this 'Nono' care anything about the fact I've been alone for months because that man is an idiot?! No one has shown any concern about my personal situation once in over sixteen years!" she snapped. She didn't even back down from the look Reborn gave her.

"Because only a complete idiot would leave a _teenager_ alone in a house for months."

She openly rolled her eyes.

"You're kidding me, right? I've been disguising myself as a boy for years to avoid that sort of attention," she said in disgust. "I don't know what that idiot told you, but he hasn't been paying attention to me save as an after thought whenever that homeless drifter bothers to show up. He's too busy trying to kiss up to my mother to care about me," she said coldly.

"Then would you mind overly much about giving me a proper profile?" he asked bluntly. Clearly he would get nowhere trying to rely on Iemitsu's rather pathetic information.

"I can give you a basic one. Ryuu-hime, why don't you and I-Pin go and find the others."

"Do you want me to leave Stormheart?"

"If it wouldn't be too much trouble," said Fon. "He'll at least drop me off to wherever you are."

"Sora-chan, let's go find the boys," said Kiseki, putting her little dragon down. She picked I-Pin up instead, and to the surprise of Reborn the 'baby' dragon suddenly grew to a massive one with wings that looked like they were made of Sky Flames. It let out a loud roar, before letting the girls sit in it's left front 'hand' and flew off.

Reborn shook his head to clear his surprise.


	8. Chapter 8

It was pure happenstance that the day it happened, Reborn, Colonello and Fon were all with Kiseki and the others near a lake where they were simply enjoying some downtime.

As it turned out, Leon wasn't the only animal partner that somehow ended up in the D-Zone, despite not being under the machine like the others were. Falco and Lichi were also around, though Falco was sticking close so he didn't get eaten by a random dragon.

Kiseki paused in where they were playing in the lake (she was keeping an eye on Lambo and I-Pin who were swimming) when she paused and tilted her head.

"Does anyone else hear that?"

"Hear what?" asked Colonello.

"That sound. It's almost like a melody, except it's not one I've ever heard before," she said, trying to find the source. "It's really pretty though."

At first none of them could hear it...except it started to get even louder.

"What is that?" said Reborn. He didn't like it. Something about it set him on edge...like the light of the curse that turned them into the Arcobaleno.

Sora started throwing one hell of a fit, and practically climbed onto Kiseki's shoulders in a panic.

"Sora, what's wrong?"

"What the hell, kora?!"

She whipped her head to Colonello, who was panicking over the fact he was starting to fade. And he wasn't the only one. Everyone in the area was showing the same signs.

The song got much louder...revealing a dragon she had never seen before. Whatever it was seemed to resonate with Kiseki's soul.

With a loud crack like thunder, the group disappeared...both in the D-Zone and in the real world.

* * *

"Owie. Sora, you need to lay off the snacks," said Kiseki. "Where are we?"

She hugged her dragon to her, secure in the knowledge that she could trust Sora to protect her. And if not...well she was sure she could figure something out.

She stared climbing to the highest spot she could find. The higher she was, the better the view she was likely to get. She also put on her mask and her hoodie, which she had tied around her waist. On her belt was the 'card deck' of the dragons she had rescued and trained.

She had a feeling that she would been needing all of them today, and had brought them with her, along with a few other odds and ends.

"Hime!"

She beamed, and let out a piercing whistle. Uri immediately made a sharp turn with Hayato barely hanging on to where she was.

"Hime! Thank god you're alright! I woke up next to Uri with no idea where I was!" said Hayato, helping her get onto Uri's back.

"Gyahahaha! The great Lambo-sama is here!"

"Lambo! Over here!" Kiseki called out with relief. That was two of her friends. Gyudon was a ground based dragon, and couldn't fly at all. But he was very fast and dangerous on land.

Hearing a familiar roar, she turned to find... I-Pin looking openly panicked?

Uri flew up to meet her.

"I-Pin, calm down. What's wrong?"

Whatever it was, it had worried I-Pin enough that she spoke in rapid fire Mandarin. Kiseki held up a hand, and she paused.

"Stormheart?"

The dragon rumbled in a slightly slower pace. It was the closest thing she had to a translator considering Fon and Hibari weren't available.

"Fon and the other adults are all out cold, and Kyouya is guarding them?" she said.

I-Pin nodded rapidly.

Kiseki thought it over.

"Uri, can you find us a second time?"

The large dragon rumbled with a purr. He could find his master's Sky anywhere, and if not he could always locate Sora.

"Hayato, you stay with Lambo and Gyudon. Have him follow Uri. I'll go with I-Pin to check on the others. Those three are far more capable of unknown situations than we are and I don't like that they're out cold," said Kiseki.

"Got it, hime. I'll keep the stupid cow safe."

Kiseki settled in with I-Pin on her lap, and the girl calmed down since the older one was with her.

They flew over to where Kyouya was standing guard over the comatose trio of adults.

He was not happy.

"They're alive. Unconscious, but alive," said Kyouya.

If there was one thing he had learned (if only to avoid complications from the cops) it was how to check a pulse.

The men were all cold, which was odd because it was very warm out. They also felt...empty...to her senses. As if something had been brutally ripped from them without even a second thought, though not enough to kill them.

"Hime! I think I saw a town nearby!" said Hayato. He had flown a little higher and spotted what looked a lot like houses. It was just good luck that they landed in a jungle area and that no one noticed them. It meant they could get their bearings first.

"I want all of us to take one of them. It'll be easier to keep them from falling off if we only have to keep track of one person. I-Pin, you and Lambo will follow us," said Kiseki.

Kyouya took his uncle. Hayato carefully maneuvered the out-cold Colonello and Sora gently picked up Reborn. I-Pin made sure Lambo didn't get left behind since he was the only one who had a dragon that couldn't fly at all.

It didn't take long to identify that yes, it was a town. One that thankfully spoke either Japanese or something that could be easily mistaken for such. However Hayato was leery of going into it directly, even with the dragons. And certainly _not_ with the three strongest fighters out cold. Kyouya was good, but having to defend the entire group _and_ three adults was just asking for something to happen.

Finding what looked like an abandoned house, one with a well that was still good, the group set up camp ten miles outside town. That was a decent enough distance to avoid people, but close enough that it was a quick flight if trouble occurred.

"Definitely abandoned. I don't think anyone's been here in years."

"Bandits," said Kyouya, looking at the damage to the door. "Or at least someone was attacked."

"Looks like we'll need to stock up on food, but I doubt we'll have any of the local currency. It's just good luck that they seem to speak a similar language to us," said Kiseki. Kyouya had gone to scout the local town, as anonymity was their greatest protection from unknown variables at the moment.

Fortunately her ability to summon through the cards was still working...Hibird was far too noticeable, but the common Hydra he commandeered was relatively ignored by the locals.

He did manage to pick pocket a few of them. Which meant that all they needed was a few games of chance to increase their funds, or rob a few more locals that looked like they had a healthy purse. He spent some of the currency he illegally acquired in getting some food, just in case. It wasn't much, but it would hold them the night.

With the food on the table, they got to moving the adults onto the few beds. Kiseki was perfectly content with curling up next to one of the dragons, and the kids would sleep next to her.

Hayato and Kyouya shared a look.

"I take first watch?" suggested Hayato, holding Colonello's gun. He could use the sniper scope to get a range on any potential targets.

Kyouya nodded, and went to curl up against Hibird. He was overdue a nap anyway, and if trouble came then Hibird or the noise would let him know.

With the adrenaline rush of the sudden shift in locations and the shock of being in another world worn off, everyone settled in for the night.

Hibari switched with Hayato sometime in the night, and then woke him up sometime before dawn to switch back.

Kiseki was their leader...but she was better at keeping them together and watching the kids. Hayato and Kyouya were the fighters with _real_ combat experience. The only thing they could do was wait for the adults to wake up. If even one did, then their combat ability went up exponentially, enough to get some answers where they were and hopefully find out what the hell was going on.

"I think it would be best if we didn't use Hime's real name. If Ri-On sent someone to look for us, they wouldn't know who she is," said Hayato during lunch. Thank god Kiseki knew how to cook.

"Ryuu-hime then?" said Kyouya. Hayato nodded.

"They're going to be looking for her and possibly Fon. They wouldn't know what his adult form looks like, or what her face is without that mask."

"I have the mask with me," said Kiseki. "Along with most of the dragon cards. I had a weird feeling I should take everything I plan to keep with me when it happened."

"That makes it easier," said Hayato with relief.

"For now I think we should focus on waiting until Fon and the others are up and about again. They might have experience to help us find a way home, if we want to go back that is," said Kiseki.

"'If we want to go back'?" repeated Hayato in surprise.

Kiseki turned to look at him with an odd expression on her face.

"I don't know about you, but I don't really have much reason to _return_ to Earth unless it's to settle my affairs. Lambo's family basically dumped him on a perfect stranger, and I-Pin will go wherever Fon is."

Hayato thought that one over. He'd go wherever Kiseki was, and to be honest he wouldn't shed that many tears over the idea of never going back to Earth.

Kyouya looked thoughtful. While the idea of giving up his territory irritated him beyond belief, he had yet to see signs of anything close to modern technology...like guns for instance. He saw crossbows and knives, but nothing that said they had anything in the way of modern conveniences.

Then again with dragons in place of cars, why would they need to invent such smelly, noisy things.

The more he thought about it, he found the idea of possibly staying very appealing. Here he wouldn't have to worry about being shot down by a sniper, and he could make himself immune to most of the poisons through repeated exposure like he had at home. And Hibird was one of the strongest dragons...he had taken down Himuro's little pet with ease. The only real competition he had was Kiseki and Sora, and they were more concerned with _protecting_ than challenging him unless he did something to piss them off.

A feral grin spread across his face as he weighed the pros to cons of staying here, rather than going home.

While he theoretically had the most to lose by staying, it was all materialistic things that he could easily leave behind. If he could take Kusakabe, it would only make it easier. The teen was one of the few people he could tolerate and very useful as a right hand. He could just as easily set up a new territory, particularly if it had his little dragon in it.

It was a shocking revelation that not a single one of them could find a good, concrete reason why they really needed to find a way home. It wasn't like they had much to hold them back in Namimori...Kiseki in particular had every reason to _leave_ the second she was of age.

Dinner was quiet, but thoughtful as Kiseki occasionally checked on the trio who were still out cold. They were a bit warmer now, but they were still in a deep state of unconsciousness. It was closer to a comatose state than just being out.

* * *

For the next three days, this pattern continued with Kyouya occasionally sneaking into town to make supply runs. The food was slightly off in taste, but still familiar enough to make it tolerable.

Thankfully to their relief, one of the men started to wake up.

"What happened?" asked Fon weakly. He could vaguely make out Reborn and Colonello on the other beds. He also noted with some alarm that his Flames were severely drained, almost nonexistent at this point.

"We somehow ended up in another world, one where we don't have to hide our dragons so much. You've been out for three days, and they haven't woken up at all. How are you feeling?" Kiseki summed up.

"Exhausted. I don't think I'll be able to get up for at least a few more days, not without help," admitted Fon. He was having a lot of trouble sitting up to begin with.

"Just being awake and aware is more than enough," she said with relief. "Fortunately the local dialect is close enough to Japanese that we can understand them, and the food is safe enough to eat. There's also a well outside that's got clean water."

Fon took notice that his body was still that of an adult...and that his pacifier was completely missing. His eyes widened.

"Where's..."

"We haven't seen them. Lichi and I-Pin will be thrilled you're awake."

I-Pin practically tackled him with relief once she was told. She was babbling in rapid-fire Chinese. Even Kyouya looked relieved.

By morning Fon could at least get up and walk, though he was still somewhat wobbly. It was lunch when Reborn started showing signs of waking up, though it wasn't much. He'd be awake by morning at least.

"So what exactly did you find out?" asked Fon, accepting the tea gratefully.

"We're in a world call Rikyuu. Dragons are common enough that we don't have to hide ours, though it seems the characteristics of Earth are reversed here. It's more land than water," reported Hayato.

"Have you seen any sign of people trying to find us, or at least Ryuu-hime?" asked Fon frowning.

"No. We've been staying here until you three were a little bit better, sending Kyouya out for supplies in the town. And to be honest... we're not really _that_ enthusiastic about getting home so fast," admitted Kiseki.

Fon blinked at the admittance they weren't trying that hard to get home, before he thought about their home situations. Out of all of them, only Kyouya had a real reason to go home and that wasn't much of one when compared to staying with his Sky.

And to be perfectly honest with himself, he didn't have much keeping him on Earth either. All he cared about was I-Pin and Kyouya, and they were right here with him.

He highly doubted Colonello or Reborn would be trying that hard to get back in a hurry either. Colonello's relationship with Lal had stalled decades ago and Reborn had long since come to terms with being unattached.

"I see," said Fon with empathy. At least they were being smart about this, and not jumping in half-cocked like most teenagers.


	9. Chapter 9

Reborn was the next to awaken. Like Fon, he found his Flames at a dangerously low level and was as limp as an overcooked noodle if he tried to do more than sit up. He didn't like the feeling. Seeing Fon semi-mobile eased a little of his paranoia, but not much.

"How long?" he asked.

"You've been out at least four to five days. I only woke up a day or so ago," said Fon. "He hasn't woken up yet, though if the pattern holds true he might wake up soon."

"The kids?"

"Alive, but they've opted to wait until we were at least mobile before they considered going into the town proper save for sending Kyouya out for supplies."

"What do we know?" asked Reborn.

"We're on a parallel Earth, the land to water ratios have been flipped, the language is close enough to Japanese to be understood, and the food is similar enough with a few variations to test. They've been using Sora to determine if food is safe to eat or not, since out of the dragons she's the one most familiar with human food," said Fon dryly.

If Sora could eat it, then odds were they could as well. She had been around human food long enough to tell the difference between 'edible' or not.

Reborn noticed something missing, though he was glad to see Leon was still with him.

"Our pacifiers..."

"Gone. They haven't seen them and Hayato and the others did go to look after. I think the curse has been lifted, though how I have no idea. Something tells me our low Flames are because the pacifiers drained them before the connection was abruptly cut off."

Reborn thought that one over. It made the most sense and explained why they were so exhausted.

Fon had a rather strange expression in his eyes.

"The kids have come to the agreement that they aren't inclined to go _looking_ for a way back home unless they hear something that looks promising."

Reborn blinked.

"What?"

"They're fine if it turns out we're stuck here permanently," clarified Fon.

Reborn stared.

"You're kidding."

"Ryuu-hime was living alone for months and her relationship with her parents was practically nonexistent before this. Hayato happily left Italy behind to stay with his Sky without a second thought, Lambo was more or less abandoned by the Bovino, and I-Pin's only connection is through me. As for Kyouya, the only thing he'd want to take is his right hand and possibly a few items of personal value, but he'd live without them," said Fon. "Especially since odds are that Ryuu-hime would stay close to him regardless of where he set up shop, which meant he wouldn't have to live without his Sky within reach."

"And they all agreed to this?" said Reborn in disbelief.

"Hayato and Lambo will go wherever Kiseki is, because she's the closest thing to a family they have. And I-Pin would be content so long as she was nearby. You can't say you have much to hold you to Earth, save for the Cavallone boy," said Fon dryly.

Reborn thought that one over, and admitted to himself that he didn't have much to keep him on Earth either. The only one who _might_ have a reason to go back was Colonello, and that was a complete toss up.

Said blond woke up sometime around dinner, completely ravenous. Like the other two, he couldn't really move much at all and had to work to keep his arms from shaking. He wasn't complaining about the fact Kiseki made a simple soup and decided to avoid that problem by feeding him and Reborn by hand. Nope, not one bit.

With the three adults, there was a sense of open relief...especially since Fon was up and moving within three days of waking up. Just having one of them able to move around properly (and in Fon's case, up to at least fifteen percent combat ability) relieved a lot of anxiety in case of attack.

Kiseki was nothing if not cautious, something Kyouya approved of. Her years of being bullied and harassed were holding the group in good stead, because she was hyper aware of how quickly things could turn against them. Even if it saddened the three adults that she even had to develop such instincts in the first place.

* * *

Fon, Colonello and Reborn were all looking through the dragon cards. Mostly so they had an extra advantage in case they entered a fight.

They could kill on their own easily enough, but in this world it was better to keep such skills on the down-low as much as possible for any sort of advantage. Even if they were all going to be riding one of the other dragons instead when they could get away with it.

The adults were almost back to a level they considered acceptable for an unknown situation like this, and as Kiseki pointed out their departure had been so unexpected that it was unlikely that any search parties would know where to look.

If Colonello (and at this point he had come to terms with the fact he was the lone person with the most reason to go back to Earth) was to have any chance of getting back, they'd do better in larger cities or well known areas. Kiseki would once again hide as Ryuu-hime, since that face was the most well known in Dragon Drive for anyone looking for them.

Kyouya would stay close to her as well, both for protection and because despite being new he was almost as well known, but not as much as "Ryuu" was.

Reborn wouldn't admit it to the brats, but he was openly impressed with how easily Kiseki had come up with a viable plan of action that took into account invalids, small children and two combat-worthy boys that kept the group as a whole safe without hesitation.

It wasn't until they were flying to find a bigger city, with Gyudon and Stormheart in card form (how Kiseki did that, no one was really sure), that he got an answer how she was able to create a plan so easily.

"I've been planning to leave home the day I turned eighteen since that idiot took Mama on a year-long cruise. I realized that there was no way I could possibly stand living in Namimori once I was considered a legal adult, so it would be better to make a plan now so I had time to prepare. Then when Hayato and Lambo came into the equation, I started making plans that automatically included them. It was just a small step up from there."

"Is it really that bad?" asked Reborn.

"I was completely alone long before Mama left on that cruise. She was there, but in the same way she wasn't there at all. It came as a hard shock realizing that the only difference between before and now was that I didn't have someone to help make the meals or say hello when I came home," she said sadly. "The moment I realized my house hadn't felt like 'home' for a very long time, I cried for a full week. It really didn't help that it was around that time that the other kids found out I had been left alone in the house for months on end by my own mother, who went on a trip without me. Honestly, if not for Kyouya keeping the school so safe I wouldn't have bothered to go to class at all."

She leaned into his hug. It was clear that the girl hadn't been properly cared for in far too long, and the adults around her were all idiots.

On Hibird (with Fon and Kyouya listening to the conversation...I-Pin was napping in Fon's lap, while Lambo was already asleep against Kiseki's leg) the two shared a look.

It seemed Kiseki had far less reason to return than most. In fact this was just accelerating a schedule that they hadn't been aware existed.

Kyouya made a note that if they _did_ return, his first priority (outside of making her wear the correct uniform for once) was to make it clear she was off limits to the idiotic herbivores that had made her life difficult, on top of relocating her to his house. He could tolerate having to deal with Fon, his apprentice, the annoying little cow and the loud-mouthed silverette. Mostly because he knew she would keep them from annoying him _too_ much.

When they found a larger city, they hovered a bit above the clouds, to avoid being seen.

"So who goes down first?" asked Reborn.

"Hayato and Colonello," said Kiseki without hesitation. "I have a bad feeling about sending Hibird down, and a really weird one if Sora was seen in her full form."

"Weird how?"

"Weird in that I'm almost positive that it will bring a total headache down on us, even if we _did_ get an explanation," she said dryly. "Besides, do any of you want to deal with the chaos Lambo could cause if something did happen?"

"So Bomber boy and the gun nut," said Reborn, wincing at the mere idea of that internally.

The plan made, Hayato and Colonello flew down on Uri, who stayed outside town since it was too big to walk the streets normally.

Two hours later they came back up, with somewhat constipated expressions.

"Good call on not sending Hime down," said Hayato.

"What happened?"

"Sora is famous is what happened," said Colonello.

"...Famous?" said Reborn. Suddenly Kiseki's feeling made a lot more sense.

"Yin Senkoukura-sama is what they call her. I'd recognize Sora pretty quick, though it seems there's a _male_ Yang half out there somewhere," said Hayato.

"According to local folklore, Yin Senkoukura-sama has the ability to summon dragons, and their partner can speak and control them. They can also absorb useful abilities into themselves or pass them to their subordinates. If _she,_ and the Yin is always female, is summoned then it means that there's a grave imbalance in the universe that needs to be corrected and that the Yang half will soon be summoned," said Colonello. "If they see her at all they're going to flip, though apparently they're pissed with something called Ri-On because some of the people they've sent through have been causing a lot of problems."

"So Ri-On has a way to get back," said Reborn. That was good to know.

"But there's no telling if the curse being removed is permanent, or if it would reassert itself the second you get back," Kiseki pointed out. Colonello deflated at that. "So what do you think? Is it worth revealing ourselves or not?"

Fon, Reborn and Colonello looked at each other.

"We can handle almost anything that's thrown at us. It's really up to you, Principessa," said Reborn. If her Hyper Intuition said it was safe, then it was probably a good place to at least get grounded with the locals.

It was pretty clear Kiseki had inherited a healthy dose of the famed Vongola Hyper Intuition, and it was as close to a warning as they were likely to get at this point. If and when they went home, they could switch who the 'leader' was, but for now it was Kiseki by default. Not that she had picked up on that fact quite yet.

She tilted her head.

"Principessa?"

"Italian equivalent for 'hime'," said Hayato helpfully. The blush she gave at that was adorable, but not worth mentioning.

"Well... I think if we switch Hibird to his smaller form and switch to Stormheart we should be fine. But it would mean the three of us would fly in on Uri and Stormheart, since I don't want to reveal Sora just yet. I have the feeling they'd recognize her in her 'baby' form just as fast."

Hibari didn't like the idea of switching Hibird to his 'canary' form.

"Why switch out for Stormheart?" asked Fon, frowning.

"Because I know for a fact he's not the _only_ person with that sort of dragon that plays Dragon Drive," said Kiseki. "And if Ri-On has been causing trouble here already to the point they know the name of the group..."

"You think someone else with a similar dragon has been here and caused trouble," said Fon.

"I would rather avoid it if it's possible," admitted Kiseki.

With a bit of awkward rearranging, and putting Sora into the box, the group landed close to town and went in. Thanks to Reborn's quick hands, they had enough to get a few rooms for the night and approach whoever was supposed to be town leader in the morning, if news of such unusual strangers didn't bring them out.

Though room arrangements made things a little awkward.

"Kiseki gets the kids," said Reborn immediately. "Fon and Kyouya can share a room, and I'll room with Colonello and Hayato."

Kiseki frowned.

"I highly doubt the kids will share a bed, and will likely bunk with me. Wouldn't it be easier for me to share a room with an extra so no one sleeps on the floor?"

Everyone save the kids turned to look at her incredulous. It didn't take much for her to guess _why_ , and she openly rolled her eyes.

"Don't you dare turn sexist on me. In case you haven't noticed, I've been disguising myself as a boy for years to the point I barely have any overt feminine qualities at all. It makes no sense not to give the bed to someone who can use it since the kids generally pile up on me anyway. Unless one of you can't keep your hands to yourself?" she said, raising an eyebrow pointedly.

The adults shared a look between them.

"Fine. Colonello can share with Hayato and I'll share with Hime. I'm the lightest sleeper of the three of us," said Reborn after a moment.

With the sleeping arrangements fixed, the group dispersed to wander around town until nightfall.


	10. Chapter 10

When the Elder heard of a large group of strangers in town, all wearing clothing more in common with with Meguru was wearing, she felt hope.

They had found Senkoukura-sama in the D-Zone and had summoned it with the hopes of ending Ri-On's reign of terror. The amount of damage those fools were doing was too large to be ignored, to say nothing of the young lives lost.

Except Senkoukura-sama hadn't shown up. Meguru had gone looking and found nothing.

Perhaps they merely landed in the wrong area?

She waited until morning, and then sent Meguru to find out whether this group of strangers was indeed from Earth.

* * *

Kiseki shared a look with her friends and the adults. It looked like their suspicions that the summons had been deliberate was spot on.

Within an hour after breakfast, the group found themselves before the Elder.

"So a prophet. Now it makes sense," said Reborn, with a rather dark look.

Fon had a similarly irritated expression.

"What's so bad about prophets?" asked Kiseki.

"The woman who tricked us into that curse had a similar ability. Though it claimed her life and it was passed onto her daughter, the fact she did nothing to warn us about the fact we were about to be cursed left some rather sour feelings about anything that reminds us of her. She was a rather poor example for a Sky," explained Fon.

They had felt the beginnings of Harmony, but it had died after they found out she knew what was going to happen and said nothing.

Kiseki made sure to hug the both of them, hearing that.

"I'm not sure Sora can be the savior of a city. And I would rather find out for myself whether or not Ri-On needs to have their operations permanently ended. Just because a few people who have been sent caused problems doesn't mean that it's their main goal," said Kiseki.

"How can you say something like that! Do you have any idea what they've done?" said Meguru angrily.

Kiseki's hard amber stare shut her up.

"I know that I'm not about to believe public opinion and hearsay to determine what should and shouldn't be done. Just because you may have had a bad experience with whatever mission they sent you on doesn't mean that they are entirely evil," she said flatly.

"Question. If you knew that Ri-On was sending people here before now, why haven't you returned home already?" asked Colonello, eyeing the girl. "I'm sure your family is worried about you."

She flushed.

"Like I would trust those snakes!" she said.

"Just like I have my reasons for not trusting something that could potentially turn into a total mess purely on hearsay. We'll agree to help you for now, but we would rather have all the facts before we do any large scale operations," said Kiseki giving Meguru a look.

The Elder sighed. While they did have a problem with Ri-On, or at least some of the people they sent over, she could at least agree the _girl's_ reasoning for not willing to fully commit was at least sound. She had no reason to trust them, especially after they dragged her and even small children over without even asking or giving a warning. Though she was curious as to how the adults were pulled through as well.

"May I ask where Senkoukura-sama is now?" asked the Elder.

Kiseki pulled out a box, and released Sora.

"What on earth is that?" asked Meguru shocked.

"And that right there is all the proof we need that you are a civilian," said Fon dryly. "That right there is what is known as a dragon box, or 'D-Box' for short. It's used to store dragons and bring them onto Earth, though there's a list of requirements to even get one."

"What?!"

Sora licked Kiseki on the cheek.

"You really think Ri-On was alone in making Dragon Drive? They got help from some less than reputable backers, and those people were quick to have one of the top minds find a way to bring dragons to Earth. Odds are that even if we _did_ end the civilian problem, those people would only come in and claim the technology for themselves. They might even make a permanent gateway between the worlds so that you can come and go freely," said Kiseki dryly.

Meguru did not like the sound of that.

"This is grave news."

"Not really. Odds are that a certain group will take over policing the gateway if and when it's made. They're pretty big on being neutral entities no one wants to cross," said Reborn dryly.

"What sort of people is this group made of?"

"Well they're terrifying enough that just the mere thought of them coming down on you is enough to keep the bloodier families in line. They're the ones you don't want on your ass because of breaking the known rules. No one really knows what they are, just that crossing them is the stupidest idea in existence," said Colonello without hesitation. "If a gateway is made, they'd likely be the first considered to control it because they aren't easily bribed or influenced and are more about maintaining order."

Which was little comfort to the two civilians, but that was simply the nature of things. No way in hell was the mafia going to ignore a resource like a world of dragons when just even a taste of the D-Boxes has the bigger players scrambling to get their hands on them.

Unknown to the adults, the fact their curse was cut off without any real ill effects would send even bigger ripples and make the possibility that the Vindice would become involved a near certainty...along with the 'god' that cursed them into toddler form to begin with.

"How many dragons does your group have? And how did the children and adults come with you? I was under the assumption that Dragon Drive only allowed teenagers in," asked the Elder.

Kiseki openly snorted at that.

"More like it was mostly teenagers who found appeal in a battle royal with dragons. Dragon Drive doesn't _have_ age restrictions, though in I-Pin and Lambo's case they were part of another group that was a lot more lax on the age requirements provided that they were strong enough to handle it. The adults though... it's too complicated to go into. There was a condition they had that was averted through the machines and they just happened to be with us when we were summoned. It took them a few weeks before they were in any condition for us to move after that summoning," said Kiseki. "As for dragons... I honestly have no idea. I never bothered to properly count how many we had."

"I think a general idea of our main dragons should suffice," said Reborn. He was rather pleased with how well Kiseki was handling this situation.

Clearly the Primo's bloodline ran stronger in her than it ever had in Iemitsu.

"Well there's Sora, Uri, Stormheart, Gyudon and Hibird. So five at least, though Stormheart and Gyudon are in storage form at the moment."

The Elder sighed.

"I see. So you bonded with the Yin Senkoukura-sama, as opposed to the Yang."

"Which means the male half will be summoned very soon, if the female is here," said Meguru.

She didn't seem to like Kiseki very much, though if the looks she kept casting Hayato and Kyouya was any indication, she found them very appealing.

"I'm surprised none of you have mentioned returning to Earth," commented the Elder.

"Out of our group, the only one with any real desire to return is Colonello. Most of us don't really have something to tie us to Earth to begin with," said Kiseki blithely. "And even he is a toss-up."

There was clearly a story behind that, but the look Reborn shot the Elder with a light shake of his head kept her from pressing what it was at the moment. It was likely the man would explain later.

* * *

"Well that could have gone worse," said Colonello.

"Agreed. At least they weren't willing to push the idea of Kiseki-hime into fighting an entire group for people she has only just met because of Sora."

Colonello suddenly made a face.

"Ugh. I swear that is one of the most ridiculous names I've ever heard for a girl. It's not cute at all," said Colonello.

"Iemitsu is an idiot. He would have named her 'Tsunayoshi' if she had been born a boy. Imagine her being called 'tuna' her entire life," said Reborn dryly.

"Still, Kiseki isn't really a good name for the Principessa," said Colonello.

"What about Ryuu-hime?" said Fon, amused by the deliberate change of subject.

"Way too much of a description, rather than a name," said Colonello. He had an idea. It wasn't very original, but it still sounded better than calling her Kiseki all the time.

Kiseki knocked on the door.

"We're going to explore the city properly. Any of you care to join us?"

Colonello grinned.

"Count me in, Mira-chan," he said.

Kiseki paused.

"Mira-chan?" she repeated.

"It sounds way better than 'Kiseki' or 'Ryuu-hime'. Short, and perfect for a cute girl like you," said Colonello winking, causing her to blush a bright red.

Reborn smirked.

"Mira, short for 'miracle', I take it?" said Reborn.

Colonello nodded.

"I think it suits her," said Fon, getting in on the light teasing. The fact her blush had yet to dissipate didn't hurt either.

"Then it's settled. From now on we're calling you Mira-chan," said Colonello grinning.

She squeaked before leaving the room. Colonello wasn't the only one who laughed at her sudden shyness.

"Now there's the Mira-chan we all know," said Fon grinning. Reborn smirked.

He was going to abuse this as long as he could, because that blush was adorable.

Much to her surprise, it hadn't taken long for Hayato and Kyouya to join in on the teasing, or for the nickname to become permanent. Though Hayato had a habit of calling her "Mira-hime".

(It didn't take more than an hour for Meguru to figure out that their 'leader' was in fact a girl as well. One of only two in a group that was primarily boys.)

* * *

 _In Italy..._

Verde was at his wits end. Not only had Reborn gone missing, but from what he found out Colonello and Fon had disappeared as well! The thing that baffled them all the most was the fact that they vanished without a trace...leaving only pacifiers that were slowly turning clear behind where they had been using the machines.

The _second_ the Vindice found out about the pacifiers being removed and the bodies of the Arcobaleno disappearing without a trace, they were on Verde within hours.

He had just gotten the mafia's version of police off his ass about the damn boxes! He was _not_ about to deal with them on his case to find out where the three disappeared to!

As if that wasn't annoying enough, Lal Mirch, Skull _and_ Viper had shown up the moment they heard the news to find out if he knew anything. Or at least knew what was going on with the pacifiers.

Sometimes he really hated being the genius of the group. He really did.

"You want us to _what_?" said Lal, balking.

"Get in the machine. According to Reborn and Fon, the D-Zone automatically filters us in our adult bodies rather than our cursed ones. You can move around as if you weren't cursed in there," said Verde, pushing up his glasses. He looked to Skull and Viper. "If you keep your partners in your laps, they show up as well for some reason."

"Hell, I'm in! I've been wanting to ride a dragon since I heard about this game!" said Skull. Sadly he was too 'young' to get one through the civilian route, and he was too terrified Verde would do something to him while he was in it to approach the man.

With Skull sitting next to Lal Mirch, the hood came down like normal. Skull had Oodako in his lap, inside the specially made backpack he convinced Verde to make specifically for the purpose of transporting his octopus with him.

"Entering D-Zone in three. Two. One. Initialization commencing," said Verde.

"What are you doing?" asked Viper.

"It's a habit, alright?" said Verde crossly. He had not gotten much sleep lately.

For a moment, nothing happened and the two were in D-Zone, according to the screen. Then a weird sound began to emanate from the digital display and a strange symbol that Verde recognized as part of the Tri-Ni-Sette appeared.

A familiar blinding flash of light erupted from the machine, and the sound of two small items falling to the floor was all that was heard.

Once they could see, they found Lal Mirch and Skull missing...and their pacifiers on the ground.

Verde and Viper stared.

"What the hell?!"

"What in blazes just happened?!" said Viper in shock. Their usual apathetic persona dropped the second they saw the pacifiers on the ground and the two missing.

Verde was scanning all over the D-Zone for the two...nothing. Then he tried another tactic, and his eyes widened.

"They're in Rikyuu."

"What?"

"Somehow the machine transported them to Rikyuu, _without_ their pacifiers."

"What is Rikyuu?"

"The civilians in Ri-On stumbled onto a parallel Earth, except this was full of dragons. Once they figured out how to stabilize the breech they started sending people over... you can guess the rest."

"They want to take over the place, find something that would allow them total control over dragons, or just want to exploit some unknown resource," said Viper.

"The only reason _I_ know of it is because I kept picking up on their breeches."

"So that's how you ended up the head of the D-Box project," said Viper. They had always wondered what exactly had gotten the attention of Verde and the more technologically advanced mafioso.

"If they were transported to Rikyuu without their pacifiers...then it's possible..."

"Then it's possible we might be free of this damn curse," finished Viper, already considering the possibilities of such a thing.

The two shared a look.

"I'll start putting my lab into the special storage boxes," said Verde with glee.

"I'll put my affairs in order..." said Viper, equally quick on the draw.

Being displaced in another world was a small price to pay to be free of this curse.


	11. Chapter 11

Skull felt like crap.

"It looks like he's waking up. What about her?" asked a voice. It was young, and it sounded female.

"She's still out cold, though if we're any indication it'll be at least a day before she's awake. I'm surprised the Lackey is," said an annoyed voice.

Skull nearly shot up hearing it. He knew that voice...except he hadn't heard it in decades and it was much older!

He felt something steady him when his body nearly gave out. He felt like an overcooked noodle.

"Easy. For some reason whenever you show up here in your original form, you experience a major drain on your Flames. You're going to need a few days before you're able to move normally."

Skull winced as he felt pain shooting through his body. He barely had any energy to sit up with. Feeling a gentle hand on his forehead, he looked at the one who was being so nice to him properly.

It was a girl, a teenager really, with a small white dragon on her shoulder in boy's clothes. He could see Oodako sitting calmly in a decent sized bowl with some fresh water...his partner looked pretty pleased with their spot, because they were sleeping.

She looked really familiar too. It wasn't until he spotted the familiar white oval peeking out of her hoodie that it hit him.

"Ah! You're Ryuu!" he said.

Ryuu blinked, before she grinned. She pulled out the familiar dragon mask and Skull was grinning himself. He had liked Ryuu from the first time he saw one of her matches. She had style and she would always protect the little guy, even the really annoying ones.

Reborn rolled his eyes.

"Where are we?"

"We're in Rikyuu. Somehow you were transported here and ended up half-drowning in one of the fountains four days ago. Fortunately we already knew that you would be comatose for a few days since it happened to Fon and the others as well," said Ryuu.

"Fon and Colonello are here too?"

"Colonello is with the woman you were with. I think there was some history there from the look on his face."

"He's been in love with her for years," said Reborn snorting. "The idiot jumped in and took the curse for her, and she's never once indicated she likes him despite all the attempts he's made. The woman is a Tsundere through and through, though I think her affection is more in line with a teacher and her errant student than anything romantic."

Ryuu winced at the implications of that.

Skull is confused at how nice Reborn is being, though he's distracted by the hug from the girl.

"Just get some rest, Skull-san. You'll be right as rain in a few days," she said.

He leaned back on the bed. That hug had been really nice.

How long had it been since someone was genuinely nice to him like that?

 _With Lal Mirch..._

The first thing Lal Mirch saw when she woke was a familiar blue-eyed blond with a worried look on his face.

"You're awake, kora! We were starting to get worried... everyone else woke up in about four or five days... you were out cold for a week!"

"Colonello?" she said, too tired to properly sit up. Suddenly annoyance filled her and she managed to get enough energy to try and punch him. She barely was able to do more than lightly tap his arm before her energy almost gave out. "You idiot! What the hell were you thinking?!"

Colonello blinked.

"What are you talking about, kora?" he said confused. He couldn't get why she was so pissed.

"You disappeared without any warning! Do you have any idea how worried I was?!"

"I had nothing to do with it, kora! The one who sent the summoning was an amateur who grabbed everyone who was in that area! We were just lucky we landed close together, because we were unconscious for four days when we arrived here!" said Colonello in protest. Then he grinned. "I always knew you cared!"

She growled at him.

"Where are we?"

"Rikyuu. It's a parallel Earth, though it seems there is a temporary path back home. Unfortunately it's too sporadic for us to find."

Lal was _not_ happy.

"How long am I going to be like this?"

"Well it generally takes a week at least, but you'll be able to move in a few days. For some reason whenever one of us gets transported here, our pacifiers do this massive drain to our Flames like it's trying to suck us completely dry," said Colonello. "On the plus side, none of us have returned to being toddlers since we got here."

She grumbled and rolled over to take a nap. She could barely move at all.

* * *

While Skull found himself welcomed by the group, Lal Mirch soon proved to be a total thorn.

For one thing, she wasn't nearly as accepting about the idea of 'staying' when she still had things to do back on Earth. The second Lal figured out who's daughter "Mira-chan" was, Kiseki disliked her.

She kept comparing her to Iemitsu, which pissed her off to no end considering how little her 'father' cared about her and seemed to deliberately do things that made her life worse.

Lal was just irritable that a _teenager_ was convincing the men to stay on another world rather than work towards getting home.

Finally after a week of this, Kiseki had enough.

"What exactly is your problem? You dismiss Colonello's feelings like they're nothing and you are deliberately pissing me off by comparing me to a man who barely rates as my genetic donor!"

Lal's tsundere temper flared.

"My problem is that you are deliberately keeping us here, rather than trying to find a way back! We don't belong in this world and you know it! As for Colonello, that's nothing a _child_ should concern herself with!"

"It seems to me that the only _child_ here is you," said Reborn. "You never even asked why Mira-chan and the others could care less if they were stuck here, or why they haven't bothered to look for a way back. You just assumed they were being lazy and enjoying their little adventure rather than asking."

Lal glared at him.

"I would think she would know better than to put her petty teenage tantrums against her parents above getting home."

"Petty teenage..." said Reborn in disbelief.

"That would imply I had parents to begin with," said Kiseki with such bitterness that Lal looked at her oddly. "My father might as well be dead with how little he cares about me, and my mother was there in body only... she was far too apathetic to the fact I felt endangered enough around my peers to the point I openly pretended I was a boy to avoid the risk of being assaulted the second I realized the danger of being a girl in a school where no one thought twice about the level of harassment I lived with every single day. She didn't even think twice about the fact she was leaving a daughter she believed to be 'no good' all alone in a house with absolutely no support save for the half-assed deposits in the bank for me to get groceries and other essentials with every other week, just because that dead beat asshole decided to take her on a year-long second honeymoon."

Lal stared.

"What."

"Mira-chan's homelife was rather appalling by the time I was alerted to her existence completely by accident," said Fon, interjecting. He put a soothing hand on her shoulder. "She was surrounded by all sides by people who were only destroying her self-confidence and who were openly mocking her character and not a single person would bother to speak up in her defense. The only reason it improved was because she accidentally managed to get one of Verde's dragon boxes and he sent people to try and find out who had it. If it wasn't for that game, her life wouldn't be one I would consider worth living."

Lal wanted to deny their claims.

Except she knew personally how little Iemitsu cared about his civilian family, and even when he did show any interest in them, it was usually aimed more to his wife than his child. There was barely any protection towards them, and he rarely considered his child except as an afterthought at best.

Like he barely considered his own flesh and blood worth the effort of putting them first. He was a narcissistic, obnoxious pain in her ass that she had to deal with every day.

Kiseki looked Lal Mirch dead in the eye. There was something in them that told Lal volumes of the hell her life had been before this.

"Lal Mirch... I have almost no reason whatsoever to ever go back to Namimori, much less Earth. At least here, I have Sora and the others and I don't have to hide what I can do. For the first time in years, I don't have to hide my gender or my face from others. So excuse me for not looking into a way back to that place," said Kiseki flatly.

"What about the others? The kids?" asked Lal, trying to come up with an excuse.

"Lambo's family literally dumped on me the second Hayato told them I was willing to take him in. They paid me to take him off their hands. Hayato... his relationship with his father is almost as bad as mine and his sister poisoned him so often that he can't even look at her face without having some kind of adverse reaction and stomach cramps from the memory of it," said Kiseki.

"I-Pin will go wherever I am, though she would be happiest around her 'big sister'," said Fon. "The only thing tying me down is Kyouya, and while the thought of giving up his territory irritates him, if he had to chose between his Sky or the town he would pick her."

"Really, the only one who had reason to go back was Colonello, and that was mostly because of you," said Reborn. "And that was a toss up even after we made that particular revelation. It's not like you've given him much reason to return."

Lal stared at them all. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"None of you even tried to find a way back?"

"For the first week we were too busy worrying if Fon, Colonello and Reborn would wake up, and how long it would take for them to be at fighting strength. After that, we might have looked into it if we heard anything, but for the most part we were content to leave things as they were," said Kiseki, drinking her tea. "I've had plans to leave Namimori in the dust since I was left behind by that bastard who calls himself my genetic donor and I realized that my home felt just as empty as it did even with my mother still there. I was just waiting to be old enough to be considered an adult before I left and never came back."

There was nothing Lal could say to that.

"But...if we do find a way back to Earth, we'll let you be the first to return through it since you have something actually waiting for you on the other side," said Kiseki. "Just don't expect us to join you."

"Thank you," said Lal with relief.

"And please, for the love of god quit comparing me to that idiot. He is not my father and never has been and if I see him again it's a toss up exactly how badly I will maim him," said Kiseki.

"I'll try to quit comparing you two. It helps you look and act nothing like him."

"Thank god for that," muttered Reborn, with Fon nodded emphatically.

A few hours later, Colonello and Lal had a very serious talk about their very one-sided relationship. The blond came out of that looking beyond depressed that Lal felt nothing for him save for the fondness a teacher has for a favorite student that had done well for themselves.

None of them really commented about the fact the man ended up dog-piled by the kids or Kiseki that night, or the fact the older girl was using him as a giant pillow so he had something comforting to hug to get him through his depression.

* * *

Reborn was enjoying the sunset when he sensed Fon coming into the room.

"I take it you've noticed it too," he commented to the Sun.

"It's hard to miss, especially when we so easily took her side over Lal's. Or the way Colonello has been acting lately."

Their Flames were almost the same level as they were before the curse, and during that time both of them had tried to ignore something that was all but obvious now.

Kiseki was more than their unofficial leader of the group. She was their _Sky_.

At first Reborn had dismissed it, thinking his mind was playing tricks on him. But when she confronted Lal Mirch about her behavior and he felt his instincts all but demand he side with the younger girl, he realized what was going on.

Fon had realized it a bit earlier, but was reluctant to speak up about it since it mattered little at the moment.

But seeing Colonello lean on Kiseki so soon after Lal finally made her feelings towards him clear only cemented the fact that he had clearly fallen under the same Sky they had.

And the thing was that they didn't regret it at all. Kiseki honestly cared about them and listened to them seriously. She treated them as treasured friends and family. And they took a great deal of pleasure in getting her to blush and seeing her act like the girl she should have been, rather than the child that was lost because of the stupidity of the people around her.

The light of her innocence that had almost been lost entirely was now beginning to flourish properly.

Reborn inclined his head, hiding half his face with his hat.

"What are your feelings towards her?" asked Fon seriously.

"While I'll admit seeing her blush is beyond cute, I'm far too jaded and she's much too young and innocent for my tastes. I'd rather fill the role Iemitsu failed so spectacularly at than try to pursue her," said Reborn easily. It was the same role he had played in Dino's life when he was forced to become the Chaivarone's Decimo. Romance was something he played with, but never took seriously.

Even if it was becoming very obvious that the girl was showing a distinct preference for older men than those her own age. The way she acted around Colonello and Fon made that clear. With Reborn, she didn't seem too sure how to react.

Considering she had felt so threatened by her own peers and got more affection and encouragement from those older than her, it wasn't too surprising. And it was better for her to attach herself that way around them than someone who would only use her to their advantage.

Fon nodded in silent agreement. He had noticed it as well, though she seemed to latch onto Skull as an older brother/favored cousin than any romantic inclination. There was some possibility of her latching onto Kyouya, but not much.


End file.
